Cemal Gürsel

Cemal Gürsel was born on 13 October 1895 and rose through the ranks of the Turkish military over decades. On 27 May 1960, he led a coup d'état that toppled the civilian government and installed himself as head of state. He assumed the presidency later that year and remained in office through 1966, when declining health ended his tenure. Gürsel died on 14 September 1966, two days before his seventy-first birthday.