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Huseynov Heydar Najaf oglu (1908-1950)
A prominent philosopher of Azerbaijan Heydar Huseynov was born on April 3, 1908.

Huseynov, who was a student of Baku school No 18, started his career in the early teenage years; entered the College of Education in 1924 and started to work in the college library. Huseynov was a student of the faculties of Oriental Studies and Pedagogy of the Pedagogical University named after Lenin in 1927-1931 and perfectly assimilated Arabic and Persian languages. During university years he worked a teacher at Mashtaga village secondary schools No. 17 and No. 59 in Baku.

Huseynov was sent to study postgraduate of Azerbaijan State Scientific Research Institute of the Department of Philosophy, after graduating, started pedagogical performance, taught philosophy from 1932 until 1936 at the Red Flag Industrial Institute and Institute of Soviet Trade.

His first philosophic work co-authored Ahmadagha Kazimov “Dialectical materialism”, which published in 1935, was first successful step taken by the young philosopher.

Continuing his activity at Azerbaijan Soviet Encyclopedia since 1936, H.Huseynov was researcher at the committee, after while secretary, but from 1939 held the position of director at the Encyclopedia and Dictionaries Institute of Azerbaijan Branch of USSR Academy of Sciences.

H.Huseynov defended a thesis on “M.F.Akhundov’s views” in Tiflis city (1939).

Publication of “Brief History of Azerbaijan literature" two-volume edition co-authored by M.Arif and H.Huseynov during war years was a great success in the humanitarian sciences. Due to his research works on the history of philosophical and political thought in Azerbaijan he was given the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and Professor. Being one of the founders of Azerbaijan translation school and first editors of the Azerbaijani-Russian and Russian-Azerbaijani dictionaries, H.Huseynov has written more than 100 scientific papers, in addition carried out serious studies about Bahmanyar, Nizami Ganjavi, Muhammed Fizuli, Abbasgulu Agha Bakikahnov, Mirza Kazim Bey, Mirza Fatali Akhundov, and Hasan bey Zardabi.

Edited by Haydar Huseynov, four-volume edition "Russian-Azerbaijani Dictionary" (1940-1946) was spectacular events of a scientific environment at that time. In 1947, he was deserved to the second degree Stalin Prize joint with director of the Institute of Languages ​​of the USSR Academy of Sciences Y.Mirbabayev and A.Orujov, who had merits in publication of the dictionary.

By the decision of Council of People's Commissars of the USSR dated January 23, 1945, Azerbaijani branch of the USSR Academy of Sciences shifted into Azerbaijan Academy of Sciences SSR. In the same year was elected 15 active members to this body. H.Huseynov was also positioned at its first squad. In same year, at the first general meeting of the Academy on March 31, Mir Asadullah Mirgasimov was elected a President, while Heydar Huseynov a Vice-President of the Academy. In 1945-1950, he has become Vice-President of the Azerbaijan AS of the USSR, as well as the chairman of the Social Sciences Department of the Academy. During 1943-1945, he was a head of Marxism-Leninism department at the State University of Azerbaijan, then head of the department of philosophy, as well as director of Institute of Party History under the Communist Party of Azerbaijan in 1945-1950.

Opening of “Philosophy” department attached to The University's Faculty of History, department "Logic and psychology” attached to Philology Faculty, including establishing the Institute of Philosophy and Law under Department of Social Sciences of the Academy of Sciences are referred to the name of Haydar Huseynov.

“About social and philosophical thought history of Azerbaijan in XIX century” book, which was written in Russian and held an importance place in creativity of Haydar Huseynov has been published for first time in 1949, and for the second time in 1958 with certain redundancies. According to this fundamental work, he was awarded the Stalin Prize in 1950.

Heydar Huseynov passed away on August 17, 1950.