[1] He was appointed to this role on 26 November 1894[2] and became an influential figure in the politics of the Sublime Porte.
According to Tevfik Bey's (Biren) testimony, he played a key role in the appointment of Mehmed Ferid Pasha to the post of the Grand Vizier, in an attempt to diminish the influence of Ahmad Izzat al-Abid over the Sultan.
"Black Tahsin"), in part due to his complexion, but also because "this man, who was fearful for his position and who had unlimited ambitions, was hostile to [his] father".
[3] He was nicknamed "Serhafiye" ("the Chief Informant", a reference to the Umur-u Hafiye, the domestic intelligence organisation) by the Young Turks.
[4] Between 2017 and 2021, he was played by actor Bahadır Yenişehirlioğlu in TRT's Payitaht: Abdülhamid series.