Stavros Niarchos facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Stavros Niarchos
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| Born |
Stavros Spyrou Niarchos
3 July 1909 Athens, Greece
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| Died | 15 April 1996 (aged 86) Zürich, Switzerland
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| Alma mater | University of Athens |
| Occupation | Shipping tycoon |
| Spouse(s) |
Helen Sporides
(m. 1930; div. 1931)Melpomene Capparis
(m. 1939; div. 1947)Eugenia Livanos
(m. 1947; div. 1965)Charlotte Ford
(m. 1965; div. 1967)Athina Mary Livanos
(m. 1971; died 1974) |
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Stavros Spyrou Niarchos (born July 3, 1909 – died April 15, 1996) was a very rich Greek businessman. He was known as a shipping tycoon, meaning he owned and managed many ships. Starting in 1952, he built some of the world's largest oil tankers for his fleet.
He and his rival, Aristotle Onassis, became huge figures in global oil shipping. This was especially true after the Suez Crisis, which made large ships even more important. Niarchos was also famous for breeding and racing thoroughbred horses. He was often the top owner and breeder in France.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Stavros Niarchos was born in Athens, Greece. His family was wealthy. His parents, Spyros Niarchos and Eugenie Koumantaros, were naturalized Americans. They had owned a department store in Buffalo, New York. They returned to Greece a few months before Stavros was born.
The family briefly returned to Buffalo, where young Stavros went to Nardin Academy grammar school. They later moved back to Greece permanently. Stavros attended the best private school in Athens. He then studied law at the University of Athens. After university, he worked for his uncles in their grain business. He convinced them that owning their own ships would make their business more successful. This was his first step into the world of shipping.
Building a Shipping Empire
Stavros Niarchos served as a naval officer during World War II. During the war, some of the ships he had helped build with his uncle were destroyed. After the war, he used about two million dollars from insurance payments to build a brand new fleet of ships.
He then started his own company, Niarchos Ltd. This company grew to operate over 80 oil tankers around the world. He and Aristotle Onassis were famous rivals in the shipping business. In 1952, both Niarchos and Onassis built huge oil supertankers. Each claimed to own the biggest tanker in the world.
In 1955, a massive ship called the SS Spyros Niarchos was launched. It was named after Niarchos's second son, Spyros. At the time, it was the world's largest supertanker. In 1956, the Suez Crisis made the demand for large ships even higher. Niarchos's business boomed, and he became a billionaire.
Family Life
Stavros Niarchos had two daughters and three sons. His children were Maria, Philip, Spyros, Konstantin, and Elena.
- Maria Isabella Niarchos became a breeder of thoroughbred horses, just like her father.
- Philip is known as an important art collector.
- Spyros was born in 1955. He is a good friend of Prince Ernst August of Hanover.
- Konstantin Niarchos (1962–1999) was the first Greek person to climb Mount Everest.
- Elena Ford was born in 1966.
Passion for Horse Racing
Niarchos started investing in thoroughbred horse racing in the early 1950s. He won his first big race with a horse named Pipe of Peace. He took a break from horse racing for about twenty years.
He returned to the sport in the 1970s. He built a very successful group of racehorses that competed in France and the United Kingdom. He bought two horse farms: Haras de Fresnay-le-Buffard in France and Oak Tree Farm in Lexington, Kentucky. In 1984, he bred his most famous horse, Miesque, at Oak Tree Farm.
Niarchos was the top horse owner in France twice (1983, 1984). He was also the top breeder there three times (1989, 1993, 1994). His best horses were all trained by François Boutin. Boutin's skill was a key part of Niarchos's success in racing.
After Stavros Niarchos passed away in 1996, his daughter Maria Niarchos-Gouazé took over the racing operations. She also found great success. Her colt, Bago, won France's most important race, the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, in 2004. Her filly, Divine Proportions, won the 2005 Prix de Diane. Divine Proportions won 9 out of 10 races before a leg injury ended her career.
Death and Legacy
Stavros Niarchos died in 1996 in Zurich, Switzerland. He is buried in the family tomb in the Bois-de-Vaux Cemetery in Lausanne. At the time of his death, his wealth was estimated to be around $12 billion.
He left 20% of his fortune to a charitable trust that would be named after him. The rest of his fortune went to his three sons, his daughter Maria, a nephew, and a great-nephew.
See also
- Stavros Niarchos Foundation
