Rafik Hariri was a Lebanese statesman who served 5-terms as Prime Minister of Lebanon (1992-1998, 2000-04).

Full or original name at birth: Rafik Bahaa Edinburghe Hariri

Date and place of birth: November 1, 1944, Sidon, Lebanon

Date, time, place and cause of death: February 14, 2005, at 12:55 p.m., Corniche district, Beirut, Lebanon (Assassinated - Truck bomb)

Marriage: Nazik Audeh (m. 1965 - February 14, 2005) (his death)
Wedding took place in Saudi Arabia.

He and his wife had five sons (one deceased), and two daughters.

Burial site: Mohammed al-Amin mosque, Martyr's Square, Beirut, Lebanon

Rafik Hariri was the eldest of three children (brother, Shafic, and sister, Bahia) born to a poor farming family in the southern port of Sidon. In the mid-1960s, he made his way to the Gulf, and found employment in the construction business. Hariri eventually established his own construction firm, Saudi Oger Ltd., and built it into one of the largest Arab construction companies. He quickly became King Fahd's main contractor, and amassed a fortune worth billions of dollars. By the 1980s, Hariri was listed as one of the 100 richest men in the world by Forbes magazine. He was owner and director of several international companies and had business interests which stretched from Riyadh, to Paris, to Houston, Texas.

The billionaire businessman-turned-politician spearheaded his nation's postwar reconstruction effort. He was praised as the architect of Lebanon's rebirth and renewed confidence after years of civil war. Besides helping rebuild his war-ravaged country, his philanthropic efforts included scholarships for Lebanese students. His Hariri Foundation has helped more than 30,000 students obtain college education in Lebanon, Britain, France, and the United States.

He was well-regarded among international leaders, but had enemies in Syria, which maintained a substantial military presence in Lebanon during his tenure in office.

A massive truck bomb took the life of Hariri and 16 others, wounding 137. The enormous blast left a huge crater along Beirut's upscale waterfront area. Following his assassination, protests erupted across the country and quickly brought down the pro-Syrian Lebanese government. Incredible international pressure was brought to bear on Syria to withdraw its troops from Lebanon, which they did within months. Investigations have concluded that his assassination was likely planned by Syrian officials.