Saeed Bey Zaghlol (; 10 April 1890 – 10 July 1923) was an Egyptian judge and the nephew of nationalist leader Saad Zaghloul. He played an important role in the 1919 Egyptian revolution.
Early life and education Saeed Zaghlol and his sister, Rateeba, were orphaned when Saeed was about three or four years old. They were initially cared for by their maternal grandmother, Maryam Baraka. When Baraka moved to Cairo to live with Saad Zaghloul in the Al-Zahir district, she took the two children with her. Saad and his wife, Safiya Zaghloul, subsequently raised the siblings and taught them to read and write.
Rateeba later became the mother of journalists Mustafa Amin and Ali Amin, who were twin brothers. Saeed later travelled to Paris to study law.
Career After completing his legal studies, Saeed Zaghlol was appointed an assistant public prosecutor. He subsequently served in the Sultanic Cabinet before returning to the Public Prosecution. He was later appointed a judge at the Zagazig Court.
During the reign of Sultan Hussein Kamel, Zaghlol served as Master of ceremonies at the royal palace. Following the accession of Sultan Fuad in 1917, he requested a transfer from the palace to another government position. According to Mustafa Amin, Fuad offered him the choice of remaining at the palace on a monthly salary of £40 or accepting a lower-ranking position at the Ministry of Justice for £25. Zaghlol chose the latter.
Role in the 1919 Revolution During the 1919 Egyptian revolution, Saeed Zaghlol was involved in the transmission of instructions from his uncle, Saad Zaghloul, who had been exiled to Gibraltar. According to Mustafa Amin, Saad's instructions were transmitted through intermediaries to members of the nationalist movement. Saeed, who was then serving as a judge, was one of the intermediaries identified by Amin.
Amin stated that Saeed received coded messages in his judicial chambers, deciphered them and transcribed their contents according to a system established by Saad. He then passed the messages through a designated channel to the underground nationalist network. Amin attributed Saeed's involvement partly to his close relationship with Saad, who had raised him after the death of his parents.
Relationship with Nazli Sabri Saeed had been romantically attached to Nazli and his sister, Rateeba, tried to facilitate a marriage between them. Saad Zaghloul approached Nazli's father, Abdel Rahim Pasha Sabri, regarding a proposed marriage between Saeed and Nazli.
Nazli initially resisted Fuad's proposal while Saeed sought to advance his own proposed marriage to her. Fuad's marriage to Nazli was eventually arranged, and they married in 1919.
Death While Saad Zaghloul was in exile in Gibraltar, Saeed joined him there and later accompanied him on his travels in Europe. He subsequently contracted an illness and died on 10 July 1923. His remains were transported from Europe to Egypt.
The Egyptian poet Ahmed Shawqi composed an elegy in mourning for Saeed and addressed it to the Zaghlol family.
The poet Hafez Ibrahim also composed an elegy for Saeed Zaghlol, which he recited at his graveside.
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