Lt. Col. Dr. Hassan Suhrawardy, D.Sc., M.D., D.P.H., F.R.C.S. (1884 – 18 September 1946) was a noted surgeon, politician and public servant in India.

Life and family

Suhrawardy was married to Sahibzada Shahbanu Begum and had one son and one daughter; Hassan Masud Suhrawardy (1903–1963) and Shaista Suhrawardy Ikramullah

Shaista Suhrawardy Ikramullah

Begum Shaista Suhrawardy Ikramullah , was a prominent Pakistani female politician, diplomat and author. She was the Ambassador of Pakistan to many countries.-Family and education:...

. He is the grandfather of Salma Sobhan

Salma Sobhan

Salma Sobhan , was a prominent female Bangladeshi barrister, human rights activist and academic.-Family and education:...

, Naz Ikramullah

Naz Ikramullah

Naz Ikramullah Ashraf is a prominent British-Canadian artist of Pakistani origin.- Education :She was trained as an artist at the Byam Shaw School of Art and later specialized in lithography from the Slade School of Fine Art in London...

 and Princess Sarvath of Jordan.

Career

Suhrawardy was the First Muslim Vice-Chancellor of Calcutta University (1930–1934) and the second Muslim from the sub-continent to become a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England

Royal College of Surgeons of England

The Royal College of Surgeons of England is an independent professional body and registered charity committed to promoting and advancing the highest standards of surgical care for patients, regulating surgery, including dentistry, in England and Wales...

. In 1945 he was appointed Professor of Islamic History and Culture in Calcutta University while retaining the chair of Public Health and Hygiene, which he had held since 1931.

He served as an adviser to the Simon Commission and was a member of the Bengal Legislative Council of which he was Deputy President from 1923 to 1925. As Chief Medical and Health Officer of the East Indian Railway he founded the railway's ambulance and nursing division.

Suhrawardy also played a role towards the establishment of the East London Mosque

East London Mosque

The East London Mosque, situated in the inner London Borough of Tower Hamlets between Whitechapel and Aldgate, serves one of the UK's largest Muslim communities. It lies near the edge of the City of London, the capital's busy business area, and just a couple of miles from the fast-expanding London...

.

Knighthood

It was while he was Vice-Chancellor and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine that he received his knighthood immediately after he had saved the life of Sir Stanley Jackson

Stanley Jackson

Sir Francis Stanley Jackson, GCSI, GCIE, PC, KStJ , known as the Honourable Stanley Jackson during his playing career, was an English cricketer, soldier and Conservative Party politician.-Early life:...

 from an attempt by Bina Das

Bina Das

Bina Das was an Indian revolutionary and nationalist from Bengal.She was the daughter of the well knownd Brahmo teacher, Beni Madhab Das and a social worker Sarala Devi....

, a female student who attempted to shoot Jackson in the Senate House of the University of Calcutta

University of Calcutta

The University of Calcutta is a public university located in the city of Kolkata , India, founded on 24 January 1857...

 in February, 1932. His distinguished career in medicine and in the public service was crowned in 1939 by his appointment to succeed Sir Abdul Qadir

Abdul Qadir

Abdul Qadir is a male Muslim given name. It is built from the Arabic words Abd, al- and Qadir. The name means "servant of the powerful", Al-Qādir being one of the names of God in the Qur'an, which give rise to the Muslim theophoric names....

as Adviser to the Secretary of State for India

Secretary of State for India

The Secretary of State for India, or India Secretary, was the British Cabinet minister responsible for the government of India and the political head of the India Office...

. He retired from that post in 1944,

He was active in the Muslim League, renouncing his knighthood a month before his death in August 1946.