Garabet Artin Davoudian

Garabet Artin Pasha Davoudian was an Ottoman career diplomat and the first mutasarrif of Mount Lebanon from 1861 to 1868.

Early life

Dawud Pasha was born around 1816 to an aristocratic Armenian Catholic family in Istanbul. He received his education in French and Ottoman schools.

Career

Dawud Pasha was the first to hold the office of mutasarrif of the newly created, semi-autonomous Ottoman administrative sub-division of Mount Lebanon Mutasarrifate in the aftermath of the Mount Lebanon and Damascus.
Before his tenure as governor, he served as a diplomatic attaché in Berlin and Vienna. He was raised to the rank of vizier and appointed as mutasarrif in 1861. The appointment was supposed to last for 3 years, but it was prolonged for another 5 years.
The appointment of a foreign mutasarrif caused widespread resentment in Mount Lebanon, particularly among Maronite feudal lords who contested their loss of power and influence. One of his major antagonists was Youssef Bey Karam, a local Maronite strongman who mounted a rebellion against the Ottomans from 1866 to 1867.
Despite the animosity of the local population, Dawud Pasha was credited with implementing a fair rule.

Resignation and exile

The Ottoman foreign ministry was suspicious of Dawud Pasha's direct dealings with the European merchants and diplomatic delegations in Beirut; prerogative traditionally linked to his superior, the provincial governor. In 1868, Dawud Pasha pressured the Sublime Porte for more power by tendering his resignation, which was accepted. He was received back in Istanbul where he was appointed Minister of Public Works. He was later accused of corruption and exiled to France.