The son of a Crimean Tatar from Kerch and a native of Dobruja, Fahrettin Kerim Gökay served as mayor and governor of Istanbul from 1949 to 1957. In this position, he founded one of Turkey’s largest retail chains, Migros Türk. Later, he was put on trial but returned to politics, was elected to parliament, and became the country’s Minister of Health. Such was the fate of one of the most successful Crimean Tatar politicians in the recent history of Turkey.