He was born in Istanbul on December 16, 1897. In 1921, he graduated from the Faculty of Literature, Department of Philosophy at Istanbul Darülfünun (Istanbul University). In 1922, he was appointed as a literature teacher to the İzmir Teacher School. Later, he was assigned as a philosophy teacher at Kuleli Military High School, Istanbul Boys’ High School, and Galatasaray High School. In these schools, he taught philosophy, sociology, and literature.
In 1927, he was appointed as an education inspector. Later, he was sent to France for one year to study the education system. Upon his return, he was assigned as the director of the Gazi Institute of Education. Between 1933 and 1935, he served as the Director General of Secondary Education.
In 1935, he was elected as a Member of Parliament for İzmir. He was appointed Minister of National Education in the Celal Bayar government. He continued this role in the Refik Saydam and Şükrü Saracoğlu governments, serving uninterruptedly as Minister of National Education for ten years. Thus, he became an example of administrative discipline that ensured continuity and stability in national education.
In 1939, he convened the First National Education Council and prepared a comprehensive education program. He founded the Faculties of Science and Medicine in Ankara, the Higher School of Commerce and Economics in İzmir, and the Teacher Training Schools in Balıkesir and Edirne. He ensured the transformation of the Higher Engineering School into Istanbul Technical University. By enacting the Universities Law, he brought higher education under disciplinary regulation. He fought hard and succeeded in making theatre and opera part of public service. By establishing the Higher Village Institute, he sowed the seeds of scientific orientation in rural areas.
To translate world classics into Turkish, he established the renowned Translation Bureau within the Ministry of National Education. He published the Encyclopedia of Islam and the Turkish Encyclopedia.
In 1950, after failing to be elected as a Member of Parliament, he settled in Istanbul. He published articles on culture, art, and philosophy in the newspapers Akşam and Cumhuriyet. Between 1955 and 1960, he directed the publications of Türkiye İş Bankası.
In 1958, he was appointed as a General Assembly Member of the Turkish National Commission for UNESCO. In 1961, he served as a Member of the Constituent Assembly. UNESCO declared 1997, the centenary of his birth, as the Year of Hasan Âli Yücel .
He was known for his distinguished personality, always standing out with his dedication to education and statesmanship. He began his literary journey with poetry. During the National Struggle period, he expressed his love for the homeland and nation through passionate poems. Many of his love poems were composed by numerous musicians. The verse “Sen bezmimize geldiğin akşam seher olmaz”, which is still widely sung today, comes from the famous Sûznâk songhe composed himself.
His major works are as follows:
- Goethe: A Novel of Genius (Goethe: Bir Dehanın Romanı, 1932)
- A Comprehensive View of Turkish Literature (Türk Edebiyatına Toplu Bakış, 1932)
- Conversations on Monday (Pazartesi Konuşmaları, 1937)
- From Within to Without (İçten Dışa, 1938)
- Cases and Their Outcomes (Davalar ve Neticeleri, 1950)
- Towards Freedom (Hürriyete Doğru, 1955)
- A Good Citizen, A Good Human (İyi Vatandaş, İyi İnsan, 1956)
- From the History of Our Literature (Edebiyat Tarihimizden, 1957)
- Letters from England (İngiltere Mektupları, 1958)
- Education in Turkey (Türkiye’de Maarif, 1959)
- Freedom, Once Again (Hürriyet Gene Hürriyet, 1960)
