Mahmoud Fawzi

Mahmoud Fawzi (born September 19, 1900, Cairo, Egypt—died June 21, 1981, Cairo) was an Egyptian diplomat who served as the Egyptian foreign minister under Pres. Gamal Abdel Nasser and as prime minister during the presidency of Anwar el-Sādāt (1970–72).

Fawzi obtained a doctorate in criminal law from the University of Rome after studying in Egypt, the United Kingdom, and the United States. He joined the diplomatic service and served in various posts before his appointment as consul general in Jerusalem (1941–44). He became the Egyptian representative at the United Nations in 1947 and ambassador to the United Kingdom in 1952. After the 1952 revolution, which overthrew King Farouk I, Fawzi provided linguistic skills and diplomatic experience that were invaluable to the new republic. He was thus appointed foreign minister, first of Egypt and then, after the union with Syria, of the United Arab Republic (1952–64). Fawzi remained a diplomat rather than a politician, and his appointment as Pres. Anwar el-Sādāt’s prime minister was seen as a compromise, stressing the civilian basis of the new leadership. He stayed on as vice president of Egypt until his retirement in 1974.