Berç Türker (also known as Berç Türker Keresteci or Berç Keresteciyan Türker; or Berj Kerestejian, ) (1870–1949) was an Ottoman-Turkish bank executive and politician of ethnic Armenian origin. Early life Türker was born in 1870 in Constantinople, the capital of the Ottoman Empire, into an Armenian family. His father Mgrdich Kerestejian, manager of the customs office of Constantinople, died when he was five years old. His unmarried uncle Bedros Keresteciyan, manager at the External Communications Office of the Sublime Porte up to 1890 and manager of the Translation Office of the Finance Ministry until his death in 1909, a hyperpolyglot in 10 languages and author of the etymological dictionary of the Turkish language, raised him and greatly influenced his formation. A specialist in financial and economic affairs, Bedros Keresteciyan taught his nephew in these fields. Berç first attended the prestigious Galatasaray High School, a public school which provided education in the French language, later transferring to Robert College, an American quasi-missionary private school. Professional career After his education at Robert College, Berç Keresteciyan was employed by the Finance Ministry, where he served for two years. Then, his uncle appointed him to the Ottoman Bank, an institution with half European (English and French) and half Ottoman in character and cosmopolitan personnel. After the raid of August 26, 1896 carried out by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, Berç Keresteciyan was sent by his European supervisors as precaution to Cairo, Egypt as branch manager along with some other non-Muslim middle level officials. He worked also in the İzmir branch. As the Turkish Red Crescent () was re-established for the third and last time in 1911, Berç Keresteciyan was a co-founder, became the only non-Muslim member of the executive committee and later vice chairman of the humanitarian institution. With the outbreak of World War I and the participation of the Ottoman Empire in the war, the Bank's officials of British and French nationality fell in the position of citizens of hostile countries. The Ottomans threatened the Bank with confiscation, and the general manager and his deputy had to leave their posts and the country until the end of the war. The administration was taken over by non-Muslim Ottomans. Berç Keresteciyan was among them. He was deputy general manager and later became general manager of the Bank. He served for a period as a Deputy at the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of the Ottoman