Millî Mücadele period’s notable figures, İbrahim Ethem Akıncı is known both as a civil administrator and as the founder and commander of a military organization. His life spans the final years of the Ottoman Empire through the early years of the Republic of Türkiye.

İbrahim Ethem Akıncı was born in 1889 in the village of Biliçe, within the Serez Sanjak of the Salonica Vilayet. He belonged to the “Tüfekçizadeler” family. He graduated first in his class from the Serez İdadisi in 1906 and completed his studies at the Salonica İdadisi in 1908. Having attended two idadis, Akıncı graduated from the Salonica Law School in 1912.

During his student years, he worked as a clerk in the Vilayet Tahrirat Kalemi and gained experience as a journalist for the Rumili Gazetesi, which emerged in Salonica after the Second Constitutional Era. He participated in the Balkan Wars as a journalist and, after his native village of Biliçe fell into Bulgarian hands, carried out the destruction of his own village. He also actively engaged in guerrilla operations during the Balkan Wars.

After the Balkan Wars, İbrahim Ethem Bey moved to Istanbul and was appointed subdistrict chief of Sındırgı in 1915. He held this position until his transfer to the post of subdistrict chief of Şamlı in 1918. After the Armistice, he resigned from his administrative post and practiced law in Balıkesir until the beginning of the National Struggle.

Following the Greek occupation of Balıkesir in 1920, İbrahim Ethem Bey traveled to Ankara and worked for two months in the Special Cipher Office of the Ministry of Interior. During a critical phase of the National Struggle, on 28 November 1920, he was appointed to the subdistrict of Demirci, a strategically vital post surrounded by Greek-occupied territories. This appointment was linked to Mustafa Kemal Paşa’s order to implement guerrilla warfare tactics and to Demirci’s mountainous terrain, which was well suited to impede the enemy. Due to his valuable services during the Çerkez Ethem incidents, he was also assigned the acting subdistrict governorship of Gördes.

After his appointment to Demirci, İbrahim Ethem Bey, despite having no formal military or civil administrative training, established a military organization known as the Demirci Akıncıları. This organization, composed of volunteer patriots, operated between 24 January and 15 March 1921 in the regions of Sındırgı, Demirci, and Gördes. The Akıncılar operated in small detachments (müfrezeler), conducting intelligence operations behind enemy lines and along the front, raiding police stations, cutting telegraph lines, blowing up bridges, and employing guerrilla tactics to slow down enemy advances. Their primary mission was to disrupt Greek occupation forces’ supply and communication lines.

İbrahim Ethem Akıncı published a forty-article document known as the “Akıncı Constitution.” This document defined the discipline, duties, relations with the public, attitudes toward the enemy, and even moral values of the Akıncılar. It included specific provisions such as treating non-Muslims with kindness, prohibiting theft and looting, emphasizing cleanliness, and avoiding extravagance at weddings.

İbrahim Ethem Bey’s efforts earned the admiration of Mustafa Kemal Paşa, who personally granted him the surname “Akıncı”.

^{İbrahim Ethem Akıncı} (Demirci Kaymakamlığı)

With the commencement of the Great Offensive, the Demirci Akıncıları played a significant role in the pursuit of Greek forces. After the Victory of 30 August 1922, Demirci, Simav, Sındırgı, and numerous other settlements were liberated from enemy occupation by the Akıncılar.

İbrahim Ethem Bey organized his detachments into three columns and advanced toward Balıkesir, playing a decisive role in the liberation of districts and villages including Bigadiç, Balıkesir, Balya, İvrindi, Havran, Burhaniye, and Edremit. Through his reports to the Western Front Command and his public declarations, he ensured military coordination and established the authority of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye in the liberated areas.

On 30 September 1922, having announced the end of his mission, he issued a ten-article final proclamation to all Akıncılar and disbanded the detachments. This proclamation was a key document, declaring the successful completion of the National Struggle and regulating the transition of the Akıncılar to civilian life.

Owing to his successes during the National Struggle, İbrahim Ethem Bey was promoted on 11 September 1922 from third-class subdistrict chief of Demirci to first-class subdistrict chief of Ayvalık. He became widely known as the “Bearded Subdistrict Chief” because he vowed not to shave his beard until the Greeks had been driven into the sea. His duties in Ayvalık included meticulously conducting inventories of property and assets in a region with a dense Greek population and overseeing the resettlement of refugees.

Throughout his career, İbrahim Ethem Akıncı held numerous administrative positions:

• Demirci Subdistrict Chief (Second Term): Reappointed on 15 October 1922 at the strong request of the local population, where he contributed to urban development projects.
• Settlement Inspectorate (1923)
• Ayvalık Subdistrict Chief (Second Term): Served from 7 November 1923 to 23 March 1924, focusing particularly on refugee resettlement.
• Kula Subdistrict Chief: Served from 12 March 1924 to 16 March 1925. He was awarded the Red-Striped Independence Medal for his heroism during the War of Independence and received an honor certificate from the Ministry of Agriculture for his successful campaign against a locust plague.
• Acting Governor of Yozgat: Promoted and appointed on 8 March 1925.
• Governor of Siirt: Served from 23 August 1925 to 14 November 1928, playing a key role in implementing the abolition of tekkes, zaviyes, and türbes and in persuading the public to accept the reform.
• Governor of Ağrı: Appointed on 1 November 1928 to 14 February 1931 at Atatürk’s order, due to unrest and rebellion in the region. During this period, he wrote his memoirs, “The Demirci Akıncıları (Guerrillas) in the War of Independence”, which attracted the attention of Chief of the General Staff Fevzi Çakmak Paşa and was later published as a book.
• Governor of Samsun: Served from 18 January 1931 to 17 October 1931; associated with the dissolution of the Samsun branch of the Free Republican Party.
• Governor of Balıkesir: Served from 20 October 1931 to 19 November 1933. During this period, he hosted a visit by Gazi Mustafa Kemal Paşa, ensured a smooth transition to the Turkish recitation of the call to prayer, and contributed significantly to transportation infrastructure.
• Governor of Malatya: Served from 13 November 1933 to 29 May 1939. He decisively addressed security issues and restored public order in Malatya. He undertook initiatives to combat smuggling, develop agriculture and animal husbandry (particularly apricot cultivation), and create an urban development plan.
• Governor of Muğla: Served from 13 May 1939 until his retirement on 15 July 1949, the longest tenure of his career. During this period, coinciding with World War II, he earned the nicknames “Big Governor” due to his large stature and “Hunting Governor” due to his passion for hunting. On weekends, he visited villages to address road, water, and school issues, placing particular emphasis on primary school construction. His efforts were praised by the Minister of National Education, Hasan Ali Yücel. In the 1946 multi-party elections, he instructed subdistrict chiefs to remain neutral, contributing to the Democratic Party’s victory in Muğla. He also addressed refugee issues and developments in the Aegean Islands during World War II.

İbrahim Ethem Akıncı retired from the Muğla Governorship on 15 July 1949. His family claims his retirement was forced, as İnönü did not wish him to remain in office. Although he contested the decision and won his case in court, he did not return to his post; instead, he donated his compensation to the Turkish Red Crescent and declined a parliamentary candidacy offered by the Democratic Party. His desire to locate the graves of National Struggle martyrs and erect memorial tombs was never realized. He died on 11 May 1950 in Sındırgı.

İbrahim Ethem Akıncı was fluent in French, Bulgarian, Romanian, Arabic, and Persian, and had a strong interest in mathematics, algebra, history, and literature.