Mirza Mousa followed the family tradition and entered the Divan-e Estifa' (دیوان استیفا; lit. Ministry of Finance) at a young age. In 1849, he was stationed in Qazvin, where he demonstrated competence in suppressing a local uprising that had led to the closure of the bazaar.[2] His performance earned him the attention of Amir Kabir, who subsequently appointed him as the financial administrator of Khorasan. At that time, Khorasan was governed by Morad Mirza Hessam al-Saltaneh.[1]
In 1850, Amir Kabir was dismissed from office, and Mirza Aqa Khan Nuri became Grand Vizier.[1] During this period, Mirza Mousa was promoted to the position of Minister of Khorasan. However, tensions soon arose between him and Hesam o-Saltaneh over financial matters in the province. While Hesam o-Saltaneh sought his dismissal, Mirza Aqa Khan insisted on retaining him. Although the disputes were eventually resolved, the Grand Vizier ultimately ordered Mirza Mousa's removal from office.[3]
After a period of political inactivity, Mirza Mousa was appointed Minister of Qazvin. Eventually, he was granted independent governorship of the province.[1]
In 1871, Naser al-Din Shah entrusted the administration of military affairs to Mirza Hossein Khan Sepahsalar. Given his familiarity with Mirza Mousa, Sepahsalar requested the Shah to appoint him as Vazir-Lashkar (وزیر لشکر; lit. Minister of the Army) and put him in charge of military finances.[1][2] One of his first initiatives in this role was to conduct an audit of the Qurkhaneh (قورخانه; lit. state arsenal) and compile a comprehensive inventory of military equipment stored in Tehran and other regions. These records had not been updated since the tenure of Amir Kabir.[1]
Mirza Mousa remained in office until his death in 1881.[3]
One of Mirza Musa's wives was Amirzadeh Khanom, the daughter of Mahmoud Mirza (the fifteenth son of Fath-Ali Shah Qajar). They had four children:[4]
- Mirza Hadi Montaser al-Molk Dadvar
- Mirza Ali Ghavam al-Saltaneh Dadvar, father of Abdollah Dadvar, a renowned setar player
- Vosuq al-Saltaneh Dadvar, Minister of War and Member of Parliament
- Mokarram al-Saltaneh Dadvar
Another wife, Mehrmah Khanum Ismat al-Saltaneh, was the widow of Mirza Mohammad Qavam al-Dawla. From this marriage, they had a son named Mousa Moshir Akram. Mirza Mousa also had a third wife, with whom he had two daughters.[4]
