Noe Zhordania
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Noe Zhordania (January 2, 1868 – January 11, 1953) was a Georgian journalist and politician. He was the first leader of the Democratic Republic of Georgia (DRG) in 1918 - 1921.
Zhordania was born the son of a small landowner in Lanchkhuti, Western Georgia. He was the founder of the Mesame-Dasi-Group (English, the third group), one of the first socialist groups in Tbilisi. Zhordania became a member of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party and chairman of the Georgian Social Democratic Labour Party. In 1906 he joined the Menshevik faction of the State Duma of Russia.
In February 1917 Zhordania was elected chairman of the Workers and Soldiers Soviet (council) of Tbilisi, in December 1917 he became chairman of the Georgian parliament, the National Assembly (Georgian Dampudznebeli Kreba). On May 26, 1918 he was elected leader (Head of the Government) of the Democratic Republic of Georgia (DRG), the first Republic of Georgia. His government organised a land reform, a comprehensive social legislation and fought against bolshevist and separatist movements in the country. From 1918 to 1921 Georgia was recognised by various countries including Japan, Belgium,Germany, Italy, Turkey, United Kingdom, France, and Russia.
On February 25, 1921 he was deposed by Russian Red Army forces, which re-occupied Georgia and incorporated it into the Soviet Union as part of the Transcaucasian SFSR. On March 17, 1921 Zhordania was exiled to Paris. He died in 1953.
Zhordania was buried on Leville Cemetery in France. Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili visited his grave on March 10, 2004 and offered the family a state funeral in Tbilisi.
| Preceded by: Noe Ramishvili | Prime Minister of Georgia 1918–1921 | Succeeded by: Soviet Era |