Translated by Tamara Barakat

The Palestinian businessman and politician, Hikmat Taher Darwish Al-Masri, was born in Nablus in 1907, to a wealthy and politically and economically active family.

He studied in Nablus then moved to Beirut, where he earned a BA in Economic and Trade Sciences from the American University of Beirut.

He established the Vegetable Oil Industries Company in Nablus, and managed it for several years.

In 1950, he served as a member of Jordanian House of Representatives, and in 1956, he was appointed as its Chair.

In the period between 1964 - 1970, he became a member of the Jordanian House of Senate. He resumed his role as member of the House of Senate again on January 12, 1984.

Moreover, he led the team that decided to develop the An-Najah National College from a  teacher preparation institute into a university in 1976. He became the first Chair of the Al-Najah University’s Board of Trustees. The University welcomed its first cohort of students in 1977.

Hikmat played a unique and significant role in the establishment phase of the University, and the ensuing phases of its development and expansion.

He died in 1993.