Lambros Koromilas ( el, Λάμπρος Κορομηλάς: 1856 in
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 ...
– 1923 in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
) was a
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
economist and diplomat, and one of the leading figures in the
Macedonian Struggle
The Macedonian Struggle ( bg, Македонска борба; el, Μακεδονικός Αγώνας; mk, Борба за Македонија; sr, Борба за Македонију; tr, Makedonya Mücadelesi) was a series of social, po ...
during his tenure as Greek Consul-General to
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area, and the capi ...
in 1904–1907. He also served as
Finance Minister
A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation.
A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", " ...
in 1910–1912 and
Foreign Minister
A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...
before and during the
Balkan Wars
The Balkan Wars refers to a series of two conflicts that took place in the Balkan States in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan States of Greece, Serbia, Montenegro and Bulgaria declared war upon the Ottoman Empire and defe ...
of 1912–1913.
Life
![Lambros Koromilas Office](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f7/Lambros_Koromilas_Office.jpg)
Koromilas was born in Athens in 1856, the second son of the publisher Andreas Koromilas. After studies in Physics and Mathematics in Athens, he continued his studies in France and Germany. On his return to Greece, he took up his father's business, but shortly after he was appointed director of the National Printing House. He later succeeded his elder brother
Dimitrios
Demetrius is the Latinized form of the Ancient Greek male given name ''Dēmḗtrios'' (), meaning “Demetris” - "devoted to goddess Demeter".
Alternate forms include Demetrios, Dimitrios, Dimitris, Dmytro, Dimitri, Dimitrie, Dimitar, Dumit ...
(a noted theatrical writer) in running the newspaper ''Efimerida''.
In 1888, he left Greece and went to the
Ottoman capital,
Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...
, where he studied the Turkish language and the structure of the Ottoman government. On his return to Greece, he participated in the
Cretan Revolt of 1896, as well as in the subsequent
Greco-Turkish War of 1897
The Greco-Turkish War of 1897 or the Ottoman-Greek War of 1897 ( or ), also called the Thirty Days' War and known in Greece as the Black '97 (, ''Mauro '97'') or the Unfortunate War ( el, Ατυχής πόλεμος, Atychis polemos), was a w ...
. After the war, he was appointed General Secretary of the Finance Ministry, a post he held until 1899. In January 1904 he was sent as Greek consul to
Philippopolis, and in May of the same year he was transferred to the Greek Consulate General in
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area, and the capi ...
. From this point he became one of the main figures of the
Macedonian Struggle
The Macedonian Struggle ( bg, Македонска борба; el, Μακεδονικός Αγώνας; mk, Борба за Македонија; sr, Борба за Македонију; tr, Makedonya Mücadelesi) was a series of social, po ...
, the Greek effort to compete with the pro-Bulgarian
Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization
The Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO; bg, Вътрешна Македонска Революционна Организация (ВМРО), translit=Vatrešna Makedonska Revoljucionna Organizacija (VMRO); mk, Внатр ...
(IMRO) for the allegiance of the population of
Macedonia. Koromilas activity as the central coordinator of the Greek armed bands across Macedonia did not go unnoticed by the Ottoman government, which demanded his recall. In 1906 he was dismissed from his consular post, but appointed instead as Inspector General of the Greek consulates in Macedonia, continuing his work until his final recall under Ottoman pressure in late 1907.
Koromilas was then sent to the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
as ambassador. During his three-year tenure there he was successful in bringing unity of purpose and cohesion among the Greek immigrant organizations in the country. On his return to Greece in 1910, Koromilas resigned from the diplomatic service and entered politics. He was elected to the
Hellenic Parliament
The Hellenic Parliament ( el, Ελληνικό Κοινοβούλιο, Elliniko Kinovoulio; formally titled el, Βουλή των Ελλήνων, Voulí ton Ellínon, Boule (ancient Greece), Boule of the Greeks, Hellenes, label=none), also kno ...
in 1910 and became
Finance Minister
A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation.
A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", " ...
in the cabinet of
Eleftherios Venizelos
Eleftherios Kyriakou Venizelos ( el, Ελευθέριος Κυριάκου Βενιζέλος, translit=Elefthérios Kyriákou Venizélos, ; – 18 March 1936) was a Greek statesman and a prominent leader of the Greek national liberation movem ...
until 17 August 1912, when he was appointed
Foreign Minister
A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...
(although he already directed the ministry's affairs since 1 May). He kept his post through the
Balkan Wars
The Balkan Wars refers to a series of two conflicts that took place in the Balkan States in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan States of Greece, Serbia, Montenegro and Bulgaria declared war upon the Ottoman Empire and defe ...
, and resigned on 18 August 1913 following disagreements with Venizelos.
Koromilas was then sent as ambassador to
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
, where he remained until his resignation and retirement in 1920. He then left for the United States, where he remained until his death in 1923.
Honours and works
For his work in the Macedonian Struggle and later in bringing about the
Balkan League
The League of the Balkans was a quadruple alliance formed by a series of bilateral treaties concluded in 1912 between the Eastern Orthodox kingdoms of Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia and Montenegro, and directed against the Ottoman Empire, which at the ...
, Koromilas was awarded the Grand Commander of the
Order of the Redeemer
The Order of the Redeemer ( el, Τάγμα του Σωτήρος, translit=Tágma tou Sotíros), also known as the Order of the Saviour, is an order of merit of Greece. The Order of the Redeemer is the oldest and highest decoration awarded by the ...
. Among his numerous publications, the most important were the book ''Greek finances from 1848 to 1903'', and the 1892 article ''Income and taxes''.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Koromilas, Lambros
1856 births
1923 deaths
Ambassadors of Greece to Italy
Ambassadors of Greece to the United States
Foreign ministers of Greece
Diplomats from Athens
Eastern Orthodox Christians from Greece
Politicians from Athens
People of the Macedonian Struggle
Greek people of the Balkan Wars
Expatriates from Greece in the Ottoman Empire