Manyasizâde Refik Bey was born in 1854. He was the son of Manyasizâde Rauf Bey, a professor of civil law at the Imperial School of Law (now Istanbul University Faculty of Law) and a member of the Court of Cassation.
He graduated from Galatasaray High School and the Istanbul Faculty of Law. He served as a lawyer and legal advisor in the cities of Kavala and Thessaloniki. He joined the Young Ottomans. At a young age, he became a professor at the Faculties of Law and Political Sciences. His professorship was terminated due to his membership in the Committee of Union and Progress.
In 1908, during the first parliament of the Second Constitutional Era, he served as a deputy for Istanbul. He was appointed Minister of Public Order (responsible for police and gendarmerie) in the first cabinet, but resigned from this position shortly thereafter. He later served as Minister of Justice in the cabinets of Grand Viziers Kamil Pasha and Hilmi Pasha. He was elected President of the Istanbul Bar Association and was among the most renowned lawyers of his time. He had defended Grand Vizier Ahmet Mithat Pasha and other defendants before the Yıldız Court, which was convened over the alleged assassination attempt on Sultan Abdülaziz.
He had close friendships with prominent figures of the struggle for liberty, especially Namık Kemal . He passed away on March 4, 1909, at the age of 55, and was buried in the Kovacılar Cemetery in Fatih.
He was a distinguished musician. Due to dedicating much of his time to covert political activities, he produced only a limited number of compositions. He had taught music to the renowned composer İshak Varon and the musician-lawyer Hüseyin Tav.
The sûznak song in sengin semai rhythm, with lyrics written by Namık Kemal, received great acclaim.
