A leading figure in Syria's National Bloc nationalist movement, Shukri al-Quwatli was elected Syria's president in August 1943, the year the French mandate authorities formally recognised Syrian independence. His government pressed for the full withdrawal of French troops, which culminated in the last French soldier leaving Syrian soil on 17 April 1946 -- commemorated since as Evacuation Day -- following France's May 1945 bombardment of Damascus and the international outcry it provoked. Ousted in a 1949 military coup, he returned to the presidency in 1955 and oversaw Syria's 1958 union with Nasser's Egypt to form the United Arab Republic, resigning as the merger took effect.
- Lived: 1891 CE – 1967 CE
- Nationality: syrian
- Roles: President of Syria (1943-1949, 1955-1958)
