the cabinet of Assali and appointed Said al-Ghazzi followed by Faris al-Khoury, a moderate statesman, as Prime Minister. Atassi dispatched Khoury to Egypt to present Syrian objections to Egyptian hegemony over Arab affairs. Legacy President Hashim al-Atassi retired from political life in September 1955, elderly and infirm. In 1956, his son Adnan was allegedly implicated in an Iraqi-linked conspiracy that attempted to topple Quwatli's pro-Nasser government. Adnan believed that this was better for Syria and he did it out of love for his country. Adnan was brought to court and sentenced to death on the charge of treason. Out of respect for his father, however, his sentence was commuted to imprisonment in a political prison among other prominent politicians. Adnan stayed imprisoned from 1957 to 1960 when he was released. It was believed that the officers who administered the military tribunal were especially harsh with the son out of vengeance for the father, for attempting to curb military authority during his second and third terms (1949 to 1951 and 1954 to 1955). The former President, however, refused to visit his son in prison, as a mark of resentment against the militarization of Syria. He died in Homs during the union years with Egypt on 6 December 1960. He was given a state funeral, which was the largest in the history of the city, attended by senior members of the United Arab Republic (UAR) government of President Nasser. Two distant members of his family (Lu'ay al-Atassi and Nureddin al-Atassi) went on to serve as heads of state in the 1960s, albeit obeying a very different political stance, including a strong pro-Soviet orientation. Amid the confusion and violence that often formed the background of Syrian republican history, Hashim stood out as a man of sound principles dedicated to constitutional methods of government. He is respected by all players in Syrian politics and is one of the few politicians of the pre-Baath era who was not criticized by the Baathists when they came to power in 1963. Atassi's biography was published in Syria in 2005 by his grandson. He did not leave behind any daily memoirs. References Sami Moubayed "Steel & Silk: Men and Women Who Shaped Syria 1900-2000" (Cune Press, Seattle, 2005). Encyclopædia Britannica 1875 births 1960 deaths Arabs from the Ottoman Empire People from Homs Presidents of Syria Prime Ministers of Syria Speakers of the People's Assembly of Syria World War