Suleyman Demirel, a respected and leading figure in the public life of Turkey during the last half of the 20th Century, died June 17 at a hospital in Ankara. He was 90.

Demirel whose seven terms as prime minister and one as president won him international recognition as a stalwart of Turkish politics. According to the Washingtonpost, Demirel has been treated for a respiratory infection.

Demirel was known for his efforts to bring democracy and industry into Turkey, a country that had fallen far behind its European neighbors despite the fact that he had trained as an Engineer, and credited as a builder of dams and power plants.

Economically Demirel and his country faced daunting problems, at various times inflation, foreign debt and unemployment.

Having a top office in the county that was physically located between the East and the West, between Europe and the Middle East, Mr. Demirel was constantly faced with religious unrest, concerns about Kurdish minority, and tension with neighboring countries.

Apart from the constant socio-cultural instability, there were also two attempts on his life.

In the late 1950’s under the government of Prime Minister Adnan Menderes, who was executed in 1961 after a military coup. Mr. Demirel was the director of the state waterworks. He completed compulsory military service and began to rise in Turkish politics.

He later became the Prime Minister after his party’s victory in the October 1965 elections. He held office for four years and, at the age of 41, became the youngest man to hold office. In 1969, his party won yet again, offering him a second term.

His second term proved to be a period in which great public works projects were initiated, including the bridge over Bosphorus that spanned the strait between Europe and Asia.

Demirel had tried to ease tension between his country and the neighboring Soviet Union; he had also indicated loyalty to the western camp by joining NATO in 1952.

His wife Nazmiye died in 2013. They had no children.