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Sofoklis Venizelos
Σοφοκλής Βενιζέλος
Sophoklis Venizelos, 1921.png
Prime Minister of Greece
In office
21 August 1950 – 27 October 1951
Monarch Paul
Preceded by Nikolaos Plastiras
Succeeded by Nikolaos Plastiras
In office
23 March 1950 – 15 April 1950
Monarch Paul
Preceded by Ioannis Theotokis
Succeeded by Nikolaos Plastiras
In office
14 April 1944 – 26 April 1944
Monarch George II
Preceded by Emmanouil Tsouderos
Succeeded by Georgios Papandreou
Deputy Prime Minister of Greece
In office
8 November – 30 December 1963
Monarch Paul
Prime Minister Georgios Papandreou
Preceded by Panagiotis Kanellopoulos
Succeeded by Stefanos Stefanopoulos
In office
27 October 1951 – 11 October 1952
Monarch Paul
Prime Minister Nikolaos Plastiras
Preceded by Emmanouil Tsouderos
Succeeded by Panagiotis Kanellopoulos
In office
30 June 1949 – 6 January 1950
Monarch Paul
Prime Minister Alexandros Diomidis
Preceded by Konstantinos Tsaldaris
Succeeded by Panagiotis Kanellopoulos
In office
24 January – 29 August 1947
Monarch Paul
Prime Minister Dimitrios Maximos
Preceded by Konstantinos Tsaldaris
Succeeded by Konstantinos Tsaldaris
In office
24 May – 30 August 1944
Monarch George II
Prime Minister Georgios Papandreou
Preceded by Georgios Rousos
Succeeded by Kyriakos Varvaresos
Minister of National Defense
In office
21 August – 9 September 1950
Monarch Paul
Prime Minister Himself
Preceded by Philippos Manoulidis
Succeeded by Konstantinos Rendis
In office
10 April – 24 July 1952
Monarch Paul
Prime Minister Nikolaos Plastiras
Preceded by Alexandros Sakellariou
Succeeded by Georgios Mavros
Personal details
Born 3 November 1894
Chania, Vilayet of Crete, Ottoman Empire (present-day Greece)
Died 7 February 1964 (aged 69)
on board SS Hellas, Aegean Sea
Political party Liberal Party
Centre Union
Relations Kyriakos Venizelos (brother)
Nikitas Venizelos (nephew)
Konstantinos Mitsotakis (nephew)
Dora Bakoyannis (great-niece)
Alexandra Mitsotaki (great-niece)
Kyriakos Mitsotakis (great-nephew)
Children Despina Venizelou-Laskari
Parents Eleftherios Venizelos
Maria Katelouzou
Alma mater Hellenic Army Academy
Signature
Military service
Allegiance Greece Kingdom of Greece
Branch/service  Hellenic Army
Years of service 1911-1920
Rank GR-Army-OF2-1912.svg Captain
Battles/wars

Sofoklis Venizelos (Greek: Σοφοκλής Βενιζέλος; 3 November 1894 – 7 February 1964) was a Greek politician who served three times as Prime Minister of Greece: in 1944 (in exile), 1950 and 1950–1951.

Life and career

Venizelos was born on 3 November 1894 in Chania, in Crete (then a part of the Ottoman Empire; became an autonomous state under Ottoman suzerainty and the protection of Russia, Britain, France and Italy in 1898). He was the second-born son of the politician Eleftherios Venizelos.

Venizelos Therissos
Sophoklis Venizelos with his father Eleftherios and his brother Kyriakos [el] in 1905, during the Theriso revolt.

During World War I he served with distinction in the Hellenic Army and in the initial phases of the Asia Minor campaign, reaching the rank of Captain of Infantry.

Installation du gouvernement provisoire de Venizélos à Salonique (octobre 1916) - Salonique - Médiathèque de l'architecture et du patrimoine - APOR066424
Sofoklis with his father, Eleftherios Venizelos, c. 1916

He resigned from the Army and was elected as an MP with his father's Liberal Party in the 1920 elections.

Eleftherios Venizelos with his son, 1921
Venizelos (standing right) with his father and Ms. Kathleen Zervudachi, a few days after their wedding, Nice, 1921.

In 1941, after the Axis occupation of Greece, he became ambassador to the United States, representing the Greek government in exile based in Cairo. He became a minister of that government in 1943 under Prime Minister Emmanuel Tsuderos, and briefly its Prime Minister in 1944 (April 13–26).

After the end of the war, he returned to Greece; where he became Vice President of the Liberal Party (led by Themistoklis Sofoulis) and a minister in the first post-war government led by Georgios Papandreou.

In 1948 he assumed the leadership of the party and became a minister in a number of short-lived liberal governments led by Papandreou and Nikolaos Plastiras; he was also the Prime Minister of three such governments.

In 1954 his longtime friendship with Georgios Papandreou was shaken, and he formed the rival Liberal Democratic Union [el] coalition.

The rift was bridged in 1958, and in 1961 he became a founding member of Papandreou's Center Union party, which he served until his death in 1964.

"Hellas" - Eleusis, 1986
Hellas seen in 1986.

On 6th February 1964 at evening he had given a pre-election speech in Chania. There he had felt unwell which he overcame. Later he boarded the passenger ship Hellas in the Aegean Sea, en route from Chania to Piraeus or Syros. In the cabin he felt discomfort and had shortness of breath. His attending physician diagnosed acute pulmonary edema. Venizelos died at 01:05 on 7 February. The ship returned to Souda. His funeral took place on Sunday February 9 in Chania, in the presence of Crown Prince Constantine (who represented the ailing King Paul), Prime Minister Ioannis Paraskevopoulos, Georgios Papandreou, Panagiotis Kanellopoulos, Spyros Markezinis and Nicolas Kitsikis. Venizelos was buried next to his father, Eleftherios Venizelos. His wife Kathleen died in 1983 aged 86. In his honor, the shipping company ANEK Lines named one of its ferries after him.

Bridge

Venizelos was a contract bridge player "of international stature" during the 1930s, as a voluntary exile in France. He played for France in the European IBL Championships (later incorporated in the history of present-day European Bridge League championships). France won the 1935 tournament and a version of the team traveled to New York City late that year for a match against the Four Aces, "an unofficial world championship match" that the Aces won.

Venizelos was second in skill to Pierre Albarran among contemporary French players, according to Alan Truscott. Beside the national teams at contract bridge, they both played on a 1933 team that hosted an American foursome led by Ely Culbertson in a long match at "plafond, the French parent of contract bridge, which differed only in the scoring details." The two teams played 102 deals to a draw; Albarran and Venizelos cooperated on a book reporting and analysing the match:

  • Les 102 donnes d'un grand match, by Pierre Albarran, Adrien Aron, and Venizelos, preface by Ely Culbertson (Éditions Grasset, 1933), 188 pp.,

Albarran, Aron, and Venizelos were three of six players on the 1935 European champion team.

Venizelos/Mitsotakis family tree

Main members of the Venizelos/Mitsotakis/Bakoyannis family. Prime Ministers of Greece are highlighted in light blue.
Kyriakos Venizelos [la]
(?–1883)
Styliani Ploumidaki
(1830–1897)
Eleftherios Venizelos
(1864–1936)
Katigo Venizelou
(1858–1934)
Constantine "Costis" Mitsotakis [el]
(1845–1898)
Kyriakos Venizelos [el]
(1892–1942)
Sofoklis Venizelos
(1894–1964)
Kyriakos Mitsotakis [el]
(1892–1942)
Stavroula Ploumidaki
(1896–1983)
Nikitas Venizelos
(1930–2020)
Konstantinos Mitsotakis
(1918–2017)
Marika Giannoukou
(1930–2012)
Pavlos Bakoyannis
(1935–1989)
Dora Bakoyannis
née Mitsotaki
(b. 1954)
Kyriakos Mitsotakis
(b. 1968)
Kostas Bakoyannis
(b. 1978)

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Sofoklís Venizélos para niños

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