Emir Fouad Abdullah Chehab was a Lebanese general and statesman who served as President of Lebanon from 1958 to 1964. He is considered to be the founder of the Lebanese Army after the independence from France, and became its first commander in 1946.
Born in Ghazir to a family that traced its origins to nobility, Chehab joined the French Army in 1919. He was appointed as Prime Minister by the outgoing president Bechara El Khoury who resigned due to widespread demonstrations against his administration, with the role of organizing the next presidential election, where Camille Chamoun was elected. Under Chamoun, Chehab served as Minister of Defence
During the 1958 Lebanon crisis between Chamoun and Muslim leaders, he prevented the army from siding with the government or the opposition, and refused any request to do so. This decision helped keep the army unified and limited losses. He was elected as president of Lebanon in the 1958 election as the "consensus option", both internationally and locally, to succeed Chamoun.
As president, Chehab is credited for introducing reforms and social development projects and building modern state instutitions.