Makram Ebeid

Makram Ebeid Pasha (Qina 1879 - Cairo 1961) was an Egyptian Coptic politician. Ebeid was the Wafd Party secretary-general between 1936 and 1942. He was also a finance minister of Egypt. Ebeid left the Wafd Party after a dispute with his old friend and the then Prime Minister of Egypt and leader of the Wafd Party Mustafa el-Nahhas. The cause of their quarrel was profound. Shrewd, 66-year-old Nahas felt that he needed to concentrate authority in one hand, his own, to get his country through the impending crisis of World War II. He thus took back from Ebeid certain powers that he had once bestowed.

Nahhas married a much younger wife, Zeinab el-Wekil, who was more than 30 years younger than he was. His wife was said to have great influence on him, and is alleged to have played a big role in spoiling the friendship between Mustafa el-Nahhas and Makram Ebeid. Ebeid, hurt, became difficult in his dealings that Nahas kicked him out of his job as finance minister, which was followed by Ebeid's resignation from the Wafd Party.