His family was considered to have been the native of Salonika. Although his past is in the mist, it is mentioned that an unusual event took place in his life after he got married to Zübeyde during Turkish-Russian war in 1876. He joined volunteerily to a military detachment established in Salonika which was called Asâkir-i Muâvine (Auxiliary Troops). These detachments were used during the wars at the beginning of the 19^th century, after abolishment of the Janissaries (1826). Ali Rıza Efendi was working in the Office of Estates in Mortmain in Salonika as a clerk and since he knew how to read and write, he was given the rank of First Lieutenant when he joined the detachment which was also called Asâkir-i Milliye Taburu (National Troops Battalion). On the right is his picture with the uniform of this military unit.

When Ali Riza was married Zübeyde Hanım, prior to joining the military, he was working as Guard of Customs in Çayağzı or Papas Köprüsü (Priest's Bridge) at the Turkish-Greece border. He worked at several places like Kırcaali in Western Thrace and Tikveş in Macedonia as civil servant / government employee. After difficult, troublesome, wearisome, exhausting working years at Çayağzı Customs Office, he decided to get involved in lumber trade. Having made some money, he bought a house in Salonika where Atatürk was born in 1881. As the business went down afterwards, he was worried about everything in distress which caused him to start drinking causing him to get sick; as result, he died of intestine canser when he was 47 years old. Atatütk was 7 years old then.