Emmanouil Benakis ( el, Εμμανουήλ Μπενάκης; 1843 in
Ermoupoli
Ermoupoli ( el, Ερμούπολη), also known by the formal older name Ermoupolis or Hermoupolis ( el, < "Town of "), is a to ...
,
Syros
Syros ( el, Σύρος ), also known as Siros or Syra, is a Greek island in the Cyclades, in the Aegean Sea. It is south-east of Athens. The area of the island is and it has 21,507 inhabitants (2011 census).
The largest towns are Ermoupoli, An ...
– June 20, 1929 in
Kifisia
Kifissia or Kifisia (also Kephisia or Cephissia; el, Κηφισιά, ) is one of the most expensive northern suburbs of Athens, Greece, mainly accessed via Kifissias Avenue, running all the way from central Athens up to Theseos Avenue in the subu ...
) was a Greek merchant and politician, considered a national benefactor of Greece.
After studying in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, Benakis emigrated to Alexandria, Egypt, where he worked for the Greek cotton industrialist Horemi, and into whose family he married. He had six children, among whom were the writer
Penelope Delta
Penelope Delta (; 1874, Alexandria, Khedivate of Egypt – 2 May 1941, Athens, Greece) was a Greek author. She is widely celebrated for her contributions to the field of children's literature. Her historical novels have been widely read and hav ...
and the art collector
Antonis Benakis
Antonis Benakis (Greek: Αντώνης Μπενάκης) (1873–1954) was a Greek art collector and the founder of the Benaki Museum in Athens, Greece, the son of politician and magnate Emmanuel Benakis and the brother of author Penelope Delta. ...
.
[. The Benakis museum hosts exhibits linked to his father] He accumulated a considerable fortune. As a close friend of
Eleftherios Venizelos, he was elected to the Hellenic Parliament and served as Minister of Agriculture and Industry. He was elected
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...
of the city of
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
in 1914.
Among other benefactions he contributed to the settlement of refugees in the aftermath of the
Greco-Turkish war in Asia Minor. He donated to the
Red Cross
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure respect for all human beings, and ...
Nurses' School and the
Athens College. He provided for his fortune to be posthumously placed at the disposal of several charitable foundations, and his funeral was carried out at Greek public expense.
The
Benaki Phytopathological Institute was one such institution founded through his legacy.
References
1843 births
1929 deaths
19th-century Greek businesspeople
People from Ermoupoli
Liberal Party (Greece) politicians
Greek philanthropists
Mayors of Athens
20th-century Greek people
Greek expatriates in the United Kingdom
Greek emigrants to Egypt
{{Greece-mayor-stub