Officer and negotiator
Born in İzmir in 1884, İsmet trained in artillery and staff work before serving in Ottoman military campaigns, including Yemen and the eastern and Syrian fronts. After the First World War he joined the national movement centred on Ankara, holding parliamentary and military responsibilities.
He led negotiations at Mudanya and headed the delegation to Lausanne as foreign minister. The peace treaty signed on 24 July 1923 names him as a representative of the Grand National Assembly government, before the republic was formally proclaimed that October.
Prime minister and president
İsmet formed the republic's first cabinet on 30 October 1923. After a break in 1924, he returned as prime minister in 1925 and served until 1937. He adopted the surname İnönü after the introduction of surnames in 1934.
Following Atatürk's death, parliament elected him president on 11 November 1938. His Republican People's Party lost power in the 1950 election, after which he became opposition leader. His career thus spanned both single-party government and the transition to competitive party politics.
Opposition and coalition governments
During the 1950 s İnönü led the parliamentary opposition. After the 1960 coup, a new constitution and elections created a different institutional setting; he headed successive coalition governments from 1961 to 1965.
Party leadership disputes marked his final years. He left the Republican People's Party in 1972 and continued as a senator. He died in Ankara on 25 December 1973, having held markedly different roles across successive phases of republican politics.