George P. Livanos (9 August 1926 – 1 June 1997) was a Greek shipping magnate born in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

, the son of Peter Livanos from

Chios Chios (; el, Χίος, Chíos , traditionally known as Scio in English) is the fifth largest Greek island, situated in the northern Aegean Sea. The island is separated from Turkey by the Chios Strait. Chios is notable for its exports of mastic ...

.Νικόλαος Καραμανλής, Άτλας της Ελληνικής Διασποράς, 2001, σελ. 84 He is often confused with his distant cousin, George S. Livanos, the sole son of

Stavros G. Livanos Stavros George Livanos ( el, Σταύρος Λιβανός; 1891– May 28, 1963), was a Greek shipowner, native of Chios, and the founder of the Livanos shipping empire. He was also a rival as well as father-in-law to billionaire Greek shipping ty ...

, a legend in

Greek shipping Greece is a maritime nation by tradition, as shipping is arguably the oldest form of occupation of the Greeks and has been a key element of Greek economic activity since ancient times. Today, shipping is the country's most important industry wo ...

. After the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Livanos served in the

Transportation Corps The Transportation Corps is a combat service support branch of the U.S. Army. It is responsible for the movement of personnel and material by truck, rail, air, and sea. It is one of three U.S. Army logistics branches, the others being the Qua ...

of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

, first in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

and then in

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

, where he was a

sea captain A sea captain, ship's captain, captain, master, or shipmaster, is a high-grade licensed mariner who holds ultimate command and responsibility of a merchant vessel.Aragon and Messner, 2001, p.3. The captain is responsible for the safe and efficie ...

in Army ships carrying

cargo Cargo consists of bulk goods conveyed by water, air, or land. In economics, freight is cargo that is transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. ''Cargo'' was originally a shipload but now covers all types of freight, including trans ...

.Νικόλαος Καραμανλής, Άτλας της Ελληνικής Διασποράς, 2001, σελ. 84 After earning a degree in Economics from the

University of Athens The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA; el, Εθνικό και Καποδιστριακό Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών, ''Ethnikó ke Kapodistriakó Panepistímio Athinón''), usually referred to simply as the Univers ...

, he founded his own company,

Ceres Hellenic Shipping Enterprises Ceres Hellenic Enterprises is a large traditional Greek ship management company based in London. It was founded by George Livanos in 1949, but family shipping interests in fact date back to 1824. It is currently run by Peter G. Livanos. It owns, ...

, in 1949. Shortly after, he inherited his father's 30-ship fleet, which included the world's five largest

supertanker An oil tanker, also known as a petroleum tanker, is a ship designed for the bulk cargo, bulk transport of petroleum, oil or its products. There are two basic types of oil tankers: crude tankers and product tankers. Crude tankers move large quant ...

s. Livanos managed his business from

Lausanne , neighboring_municipalities= Bottens, Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Chavannes-près-Renens, Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Crissier, Cugy, Écublens, Épalinges, Évian-les-Bains (FR-74), Froideville, Jouxtens-Mézery, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Lugrin (FR-74), ...

. With over 100 ships, his fleet was the largest merchant navy in Greece. He also created a shipping company, which pioneered fast ferry services between the

Greek Islands Greece has many islands, with estimates ranging from somewhere around 1,200 to 6,000, depending on the minimum size to take into account. The number of inhabited islands is variously cited as between 166 and 227. The largest Greek island by a ...

, introducing coastal passenger hydrofoils on an extensive network of routes linking the mainland with nearby islands. For two decades, the services operated under the Ceres Flying Dolphins' brand name, became a household expression in Greece. Loyalty to his Greek roots prompted Livanos to shun flags of convenience for his vessels, despite the enormous tax advantages that this would have meant. Instead his ships invariably flew the

Greek flag The national flag of Greece, popularly referred to as the "blue and white one" ( el, Γαλανόλευκη, ) or the "sky blue and white" (, ), is officially recognised by Greece as one of its national symbols and has nine equal horizontal strip ...

. Diversifying in latter years, he invested in real estate, and in banking with

Basil Goulandris Vassilis P. "Basil" Goulandris (1913 – 27 April 1994) was a Greek shipowner, and the founder of Greece's first Museum of Modern Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art Andros. He and his wife died childless and left an art collection worth $3 bil ...

, another Lausanne-based Greek shipowner. In 1994, Livanos' fortune was an estimated US$3 billion. He was ahead of his time, as he had begun to heed warnings that abuse of the environment could destroy the planet and was involved in the protection of ocean and coastal waters. He founded the Hellenic Marine Environment Protection Association (HELMEPA) in 1982. Livanos was an influential member of the Greek lobby in Washington. In 1988, he threw his backing behind the Presidential bid of the Democratic candidate and fellow Greek American,

Michael Dukakis Michael Stanley Dukakis (; born November 3, 1933) is an American retired lawyer and politician who served as governor of Massachusetts from 1975 to 1979 and again from 1983 to 1991. He is the longest-serving governor in Massachusetts history a ...

. He was also a close personal friend of long-serving Greek Prime Minister

Andreas Papandreou Andreas Georgiou Papandreou ( el, Ανδρέας Γεωργίου Παπανδρέου, ; 5 February 1919 – 23 June 1996) was a Greek economist, politician and a dominant figure in Greek politics, known for founding the political party PASOK, wh ...

. Livanos married Fotini Carras, the daughter of the Greek shipowner

Yiannis Carras John Constantine Carras (; 1907– 1989) was a Greek shipping magnate, grandson of captain and sailing-ship owner Ioannis I. Carras from Kardamyla of Chios. Early life John Carras studied economics in Lausanne and subsequently became a principa ...

, and had a son,

Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

, and a daughter, Marina. He died in 1997, leaving his business to his son.

References

1926 births 1997 deaths Greek expatriates in the United States Greek expatriates in Switzerland Greek businesspeople in shipping Livanos family Greek expatriates in Japan Greek expatriates in Korea {{Shipping-bio-stub