Stavros Spyrou Niarchos ( el, Σταύρος Σπύρου Νιάρχος, ; 3 July 1909 – 15 April 1996) was a Greek billionaire shipping tycoon. Starting in 1952, he had the world's biggest
supertanker
An oil tanker, also known as a petroleum tanker, is a ship designed for the bulk transport of oil or its products. There are two basic types of oil tankers: crude tankers and product tankers. Crude tankers move large quantities of unrefined ...
s built for his fleet. Propelled by both the
Suez Crisis
The Suez Crisis, or the Second Arab–Israeli war, also called the Tripartite Aggression ( ar, العدوان الثلاثي, Al-ʿUdwān aṯ-Ṯulāṯiyy) in the Arab world and the Sinai War in Israel,Also known as the Suez War or 1956 Wa ...
and increasing demand for oil, he and rival
Aristotle Onassis
Aristotle Socrates Onassis (, ; el, Αριστοτέλης Ωνάσης, Aristotélis Onásis, ; 20 January 1906 – 15 March 1975), was a Greek-Argentinian shipping magnate who amassed the world's largest privately-owned shipping fleet and wa ...
became giants in global petroleum shipping.
Niarchos was also a noted
thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are ...
horse breeder and racer, several times the leading owner and number one on the French breed list.
Early life
Stavros was born 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 a ...
to a wealthy family, son of Spyros Niarchos and his wife, Eugenie Koumantaros, a rich heiress. His great-great-grandfather, Philippos Niarchos, a Greek shipping agent in
Valletta
Valletta (, mt, il-Belt Valletta, ) is an administrative unit and capital of Malta. Located on the main island, between Marsamxett Harbour to the west and the Grand Harbour to the east, its population within administrative limits in 2014 ...
, had married a
Maltese woman, a daughter from a noble family in
Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
, whose younger offspring had migrated to Greece to base themselves in a merchant business from Malta.
His parents were naturalized Americans who had owned a department store in
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...
, before returning to Greece, three months prior to his birth. They returned to Buffalo for a brief time and the young Stavros attended the
Nardin Academy
Nardin Academy was founded by the Daughters of the Heart of Mary in 1857. The academy includes a college preparatory high school for young women and a co-educational elementary school located in Buffalo, New York. It also includes Montessori pre ...
grammar school. They returned permanently to Greece and Stavros studied in the city's best private school before starting university. He studied law at 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 ...
, after which he went to work for his maternal uncles in the Koumantaros family's grain business.
/ref> During this period, he became involved in shipping by convincing his uncles their firm would be more profitable if it owned its own ships.
Shipping career
Niarchos was a naval
A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It inclu ...
officer in 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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, during which time part of the trade fleet he had developed with his uncle was destroyed. He used about two million dollars in insurance settlement to build a new fleet. His most famous asset was the yacht ''Atlantis'', currently known as ''Issham al Baher'' after having been gifted to King Fahd of Saudi Arabia.
He then founded Niarchos Ltd., an international shipping company that at one time operated more than 80 tankers worldwide. He and Aristotle Onassis
Aristotle Socrates Onassis (, ; el, Αριστοτέλης Ωνάσης, Aristotélis Onásis, ; 20 January 1906 – 15 March 1975), was a Greek-Argentinian shipping magnate who amassed the world's largest privately-owned shipping fleet and wa ...
were great shipping rivals. In 1952, high-capacity oil supertanker
An oil tanker, also known as a petroleum tanker, is a ship designed for the bulk transport of oil or its products. There are two basic types of oil tankers: crude tankers and product tankers. Crude tankers move large quantities of unrefined ...
s were built for the competing Niarchos and Onassis fleets, who both claimed to own the largest tanker in the world. In 1955, Vickers Armstrongs Shipbuilders Ltd launched the .[ Then the world's largest supertanker,] it was named after Niarchos's second son, Spyros, born earlier that year.
In 1956, the Suez Canal Crisis
The Suez Crisis, or the Second Arab–Israeli war, also called the Tripartite Aggression ( ar, العدوان الثلاثي, Al-ʿUdwān aṯ-Ṯulāṯiyy) in the Arab world and the Sinai War in Israel,Also known as the Suez War or 1956 Wa ...
considerably increased the demand for the type of large-tonnage ships that Niarchos owned. Business flourished and he became a billionaire
A billionaire is a person with a net worth of at least one billion (1,000,000,000, i.e., a thousand million) units of a given currency, usually of a major currency such as the United States dollar, euro, or pound sterling. The American busi ...
.
Personal life
Marriages
Niarchos was married five times:
* To Helen Sporides in 1930, a daughter of Admiral Constantine Sporides, lasted one year.
* To Melpomene Capparis in 1939, a widow of a Greek diplomat, whom he divorced in 1947.[Time, 1965. An International Marriage.]
* To Eugenia Livanos
Eugenia Livanos-Niarchos ( el, Ευγενία Λιβανού, ; 1927 – 4 May 1970) was the third wife of Stavros Niarchos.
She was the daughter of shipping magnate Stavros G. Livanos and his wife Arietta Zafirakis. Her sister was Athina Livano ...
in 1947, a daughter of shipping magnate Stavros G. Livanos. They divorced in 1965; she died in 1970 at the age of 44, after an overdose of barbiturate
Barbiturates are a class of depressant drugs that are chemically derived from barbituric acid. They are effective when used medically as anxiolytics, hypnotics, and anticonvulsants, but have physical and psychological addiction potential a ...
s.
**During this marriage he had an affair with Pamela Churchill (later Pamela Harriman).
* To Charlotte Ford in 1965, daughter of tycoon automaker Henry Ford II
Henry Ford II (September 4, 1917 – September 29, 1987), sometimes known as "Hank the Deuce", was an American businessman in the automotive industry. He was the oldest son of Edsel Ford I and oldest grandson of Henry Ford I. He was president ...
, in Mexico
Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...
. Their daughter Elena Anne Ford was born six months later. When the marriage ended in divorce the following year Niarchos returned to his former wife, Eugenia. No remarriage was necessary, since the couple's 1965 Mexican divorce had not been recognized by Greek law.
* To Athina Mary Livanos, his third wife Eugenia's sister, in 1971. Then the Marchioness of Blandford, Athina had been the first wife of Aristotle Onassis
Aristotle Socrates Onassis (, ; el, Αριστοτέλης Ωνάσης, Aristotélis Onásis, ; 20 January 1906 – 15 March 1975), was a Greek-Argentinian shipping magnate who amassed the world's largest privately-owned shipping fleet and wa ...
. She died of an overdose in 1974.
From the late 1970s until his death, he was linked to Princess Firyal of Jordan. He was also said to be linked to Princess Maria Gabriella of Savoy
Princess Maria Gabriella of Savoy (Maria Gabriella Giuseppa Aldegonda Adelaide Ludovica Felicita Gennara; born 24 February 1940) is the middle daughter of Italy's last king, Umberto II, and Marie José of Belgium, the "May Queen". She is a his ...
.
Children
Niarchos had two daughters and three sons:
*By his third wife, Eugenia Livanos, whom he never divorced under Greek law:
**Maria Isabella Niarchos, a breeder of thoroughbreds. Married to Stephane Gouazé. Mother of two children: Artur Gouazé and Maia Gouazé
**Philip
Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who populariz ...
, art collector. Married in 1984 to his third wife Victoria Guinness (b. 1960), who is the younger daughter of Patrick Benjamin Guinness and Baroness Dolores von Fürstenberg-Hedringen. They had four children together: Stavros Niarchos (b. 1985, husband of Dasha Zhukova), Eugenie Niarchos (b. 1986), Theodorakis Niarchos (b. 1991), Electra Niarchos (b. 1995).
** Spyros (b. 1955) married 1987 (divorced 1999) the Hon. Daphne Guinness
Daphne Diana Joan Susanna Guinness (born 9 November 1967) is an English designer, actress, producer, and musician.
Early life
Her father is Jonathan Guinness, 3rd Baron Moyne, the eldest son of Diana Mitford and Bryan Guinness. Diana Mitford w ...
(b. 1967), daughter of Jonathan Guinness, 3rd Baron Moyne
Jonathan Bryan Guinness, 3rd Baron Moyne (born 16 March 1930), is a British peer and businessman. A member of the Guinness family, he is the elder of the two sons of Bryan Guinness, 2nd Baron Moyne, and his first wife Diana Mitford (later Lady M ...
by his second wife Suzanne Lisney, and had three children: Nicolas Stavros Niarchos (b. 1989), Alexis Spyros Niarchos (b. 1991) and Ines Niarchos (b. 1995). Spyros is a good friend of Prince Ernst August of Hanover, and was best man at his wedding to Princess Caroline of Monaco.
**Konstantin, or Constantine Niarchos (1962–1999); married firstly 1987 (divorced) Princess Alessandra Borghese, no issue; married secondly the Brazilian artist Sylvia Martins
Sylvia Martins (born 1956) is a Brazilian painter.
Born in Bagé, Martins studied at the Museum of Modern Art, Rio de Janeiro from 1973 to 1976. She then moved to New York, studying at the School of Visual Arts in 1978 and at the Art Students Le ...
, no issue. He was the first 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 ...
to scale Mount Everest
Mount Everest (; Tibetan: ''Chomolungma'' ; ) is Earth's highest mountain above sea level, located in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas. The China–Nepal border runs across its summit point. Its elevation (snow hei ...
. At his death of a massive cocaine overdose in 1999, ''The Independent'' (UK) reported he had been left one billion dollars as his share of his late father's estate.
*By his fourth wife; Charlotte Ford:
** Elena Ford (b. 1966) married firstly 1991 (divorced) to Stanley Jozef Olender, married secondly 1996 Joseph Daniel Rippolone (divorced), with issue.
Death
Niarchos died in 1996, in Zurich. He is buried in the family tomb in the Bois-de-Vaux Cemetery
The Bois-de-Vaux Cemetery ( French ''Cimetière du Bois-de-Vaux'') is the principal burial ground of Lausanne in Switzerland.
Laid out by the architect Alphonse Laverrière between 1922 and 1951, the cemetery lies to the south of the town and ...
in 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 ...
. At his death, his fortune was estimated to be worth $12 billion. When Niarchos died, he left 20% of his fortune to a charitable trust to be established in his name and the other part to his three sons and daughter Maria by his marriage to Greek shipping heiress Eugenia Livanos
Eugenia Livanos-Niarchos ( el, Ευγενία Λιβανού, ; 1927 – 4 May 1970) was the third wife of Stavros Niarchos.
She was the daughter of shipping magnate Stavros G. Livanos and his wife Arietta Zafirakis. Her sister was Athina Livano ...
, a nephew, and a great nephew. He notably excluded Elena Ford his daughter by his ex-wife Charlotte from his will. She sued the estate in both Swiss and Greek courts for her 1/10th share estimated to be worth £700 million.
Thoroughbred horse racing
Niarchos began investing in thoroughbred horse racing
Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in ...
in the early 1950s and won his first stakes race with Pipe of Peace at the Middle Park Stakes. After leaving the business for roughly two decades he came back in the 1970s and eventually put together a highly successful stable of racehorses that competed in France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
and the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...
. He acquired the Haras de Fresnay-le-Buffard Haras de Fresnay-le-Buffard was a Thoroughbred horse breeding farm in Neuvy-au-Houlme in the Orne department in Lower Normandy purchased by Marcel Boussac in 1919. Widely respected, Marcel Boussac was called "the greatest of French breeders" by Joh ...
horse breeding
Horse breeding is reproduction in horses, and particularly the human-directed process of selective breeding of animals, particularly purebred horses of a given breed. Planned matings can be used to produce specifically desired characteristics in ...
farm in Neuvy-au-Houlme
Neuvy-au-Houlme () is a commune in the Orne department in northwestern France.
Neuvy-au-Houlme is the site of the historic Thoroughbred horse breeding farm, Haras de Fresnay-le-Buffard, and the standardbred farm, Haras du Ribardon.
See also
* ...
, France and Oak Tree Farm in Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County. By population, it is the second-largest city in Kentucky and 57th-largest city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 28th-largest ...
where in 1984 he bred his most successful horse, Miesque
Miesque ( ; March 14, 1984 – January 20, 2011) was a champion Thoroughbred racemare. At age three, she was a dual Classic winner in France and Britain, then went on to win the Breeders' Cup Mile in America. Her four-year-old campaign was high ...
. Niarchos was the leading owner in France twice (1983, 1984) and topped the breeders' list there three times (1989, 1993, 1994). His prize horses were all trained by François Boutin
François Boutin (21 January 1937 – 1 February 1995) was a French Thoroughbred horse trainer.
The son of a farmer, he was born in the village of Beaunay in the northerly Seine Maritime département. He began riding horses at a young age an ...
, whose skill was a vital element of Niarchos's success in the field.
After his death in 1996, his daughter Maria Niarchos-Gouazé took charge of racing operations.[Shuback, Alan.]
Niarchos family's saga of success
''Daily Racing Forum'', 23 November 2007. Accessed: 19 March 2015 She too was successful, her colt Bago winning France's most important race, the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe
The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp Racecourse in Paris, France, over a distance ...
, in 2004, and her filly Divine Proportions
Divine Proportions (born 13 March 2002 in Kentucky) is a champion Thoroughbred race horse and winner of two French classics.
Background
Divine Proportions was bred by the Niarchos family. She was sired by the American-bred stallion Kingmambo ...
capturing the 2005 Prix de Diane
The Prix de Diane, sometimes referred to as the French Oaks, is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at Chantilly over a distance of 2,100 met ...
by winning 9 out of her 10 races until a serious tendon injury cut the horse's racing career short.
See also
*Stavros Niarchos Foundation
The Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) was established in 1996 to honor Greek shipping magnate Stavros Niarchos (1909–1996). Niarchos was one of the world's largest transporters of oil and owned the largest supertanker fleet of his time.
Orga ...
Notes
References
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External links
The Stavros Niarchos Foundation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Niarchos, Stavros
1909 births
1996 deaths
Greek art collectors
Greek billionaires
Greek businesspeople in shipping
Greek expatriates in Switzerland
Greek racehorse owners and breeders
Greek people of Maltese descent
Livanos family
National and Kapodistrian University of Athens alumni
Niarchos family
Businesspeople from Athens
Recipients of the Order of the Phoenix (Greece)
Owners of Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winners