Saleh Abdul Amir Kubba (Arabic: صالح عبدالأمير كبة) was born in Baghdad on November 5, 1911. The Kubba family originates from the Rabia tribe. Saleh Kubba served as the Governor of Iraq's Central Bank, OPEC, and Minister of Finance of Iraq. Early life Kubba graduated in 1929 from the Central Secondary School, which used to be the only high school in Baghdad back then. He joined the Teachers' Training College, graduated in 1931 and served as a mathematics teacher at secondary schools in Baghdad, Hilla and Najaf. Education He attained a government scholarship in 1933 to study in the United States, departing first to Beirut, where he took a one-year English language course. He enrolled in the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley), and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in economics. In California, he had a kidney disease that resulted in the removal of one of his kidneys. For the rest of his life, he was on one kidney. Career (1940s-1950s) Kubba returned to Iraq in 1940, embarking on a distinguished career replete with a dedication to his work and to serving the public domain. He was first appointed at the Ministry of Economy, where he established the Statistics Section. Later he was transferred to the Ministry of Finance as Assistant Director at the Directorate of International Transfers, soon taking over from the British Director to become the first Iraqi Director. This key Directorate was subjoined to the Central Bank of Iraq when it was established in 1947. Saleh Kubba was among the earliest employees at this leading institution. He became a permanent member of all delegations representing Iraq to meetings and negotiations with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) held in Washington, with the Sterling Pound Bloc held in London, and with the League of Arab Countries in Cairo. The Iraqi government decided in 1958 to embark on negotiations for the withdrawal from the Sterling Bloc. Mr. Kubba had a unique role in the challenging and complicated negotiations that resulted in Iraq's successful withdrawal from the Sterling Bloc. The Iraqi Dinar attained a strong status relative to other currencies. Career (1960s) Kubba was appointed Deputy Minister of Petroleum in 1960. He played a crucial role in launching the Organization of Petroleum Producing Countries (OPEC). With his contacts during his experience throughout the 1940s and 1950s, Mr. Kubba was able to assist and formalize OPEC. Being an