King Saud bin Abdul Aziz
King of Saudi Arabia, 1953-1964
Son of King Ibn Saud, founder of the Saudi Kingdom, Saud was made crown prince in 1933 and succeeded to the throne on his father's death. He continued Ibn Saud's policies of cooperation with Britain and the United States and of opposition to Israel. His reign was marked by extravagant spending, which in 1958 led to a financial crisis. Thereafter he shared power with his brother Faisal, who was given the office of prime minister. Faisal resigned in 1960 because of disagreements with Saud, but returned to office when the latter was incapacitated by illness two years later. Saud was finally deposed by a family caucus in 1964. Succeeded by Faisal, he spent the rest of his life in exile.