Kostia Vlastos (17 October 1883 – 28 October 1967) was a Greek of the diaspora, scion of a family of bankers. Kostia Vlasto by SEM

Biography

Constantine Vlastos was born in Paris, as Constantine George Anthony Dimitrios Vlastos, but was widely known as Kostia Vlastos.Paris Birth Registers
Register number V4E 6064, f. 112v, entry 1408
/ref> His father Antonios Vlastos was born on 18 October 1858 in

Galați Galați (, , ; also known by other alternative names) is the capital city of Galați County in the historical region of Western Moldavia, in eastern Romania. Galați is a port town on the Danube River. It has been the only port for the most par ...

, Romania, whose family name origins could be traced to the island of Chios. He was active in banking and was president of the Bank of Constantinople (Banque de Constantinople) of Andreas Syngros, Georgios Koronios and

Stephanos Skouloudis Stefanos Skouloudis ( el, Στέφανος Σκουλούδης; 23 November 1838 – 19 August 1928) was a Greek banker, diplomat and the 34th Prime Minister of Greece. Early life He was born in Istanbul (then Constantinople) on 23 November 18 ...

. He later moved to Paris, where he managed the French broker house Comptoir d'Escompte. Antonios Vlastos was a great donor and one of the founding members of the Greek Philological Society of Constantinople, in 1861. His mother, Tarsi Vlastos (1860–1919), née Zarifi, was the daughter of the known Istanbul banker George Zarifis, from which Antonios Vlastos learned the banking business. The Aéro-Club de France awarded Kostia Vlastos a spherical balloon (sphériques) pilot license (number 287) on 20 November 1913. When the 1912-13 First Balkan War was declared, the 29-year-old Constantine came to Greece and he volunteered in the Greek Army, thus providing his services for the liberation of the land of his ancestors. He initially took the rank of corporal and later that of

sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...

. He joined the Army Company of Automobiles, apparently because of his ability to drive a car. During his service he was accompanied by his brother Stephen A. Vlastos (1885–1960), who was a war correspondent for the French newspaper '' Le Temps'' using the pseudonym Etienne Labranche.Nikos D. Karabelas
"Etienne Labranche & Kostia Vlastos. Two war correspondents of ''Le Temps'' in Preveza during 1912-13"
''Πρεβεζάνικα Χρονικά'', vol. 49-50, pp. 237-244, Preveza, 2013

Personal life

Kostia Vlastos married Ludmila de Nittey, a Baltic Russian, born c. 1899 and died on 10 September 1989. The couple traveled three times to America in the 1930s and amongst their destinations was Honolulu, Hawaii, in 1932, according to the archives of Ellis Island, New York City.

Death

Kostia Vlastos died in Bourron-Marlotte ( Seine-et-Marne) on 28 October 1967 and was buried at the Russian

Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pag ...

cemetery of Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois outside Paris. His wife, Ludmila, was buried in the same tomb.

References

Bibliography

* Philip P. Argenti, ''Libro d’ oro de la noblesse de Chio'', vol. I - II, London, 1955. * James S. Curlin
Ιπτάμενοι στη Νικόπολη: Η δράση του Λόχου Αεροπορίας στην Ήπειρο κατά τον Α΄ Βαλκανικό πόλεμο (1912-1913)
''Πρεβεζάνικα Χρονικά'', vol. 49-50, pp. 283–320, Preveza, 2013. * Christopher Long

from his personal and professional pages. * Nikos D. Karabelas
Etienne Labranche & Kostia Vlastos. Two war correspondents of ''Le Temps'' in Preveza during 1912-13
''Πρεβεζάνικα Χρονικά'', vol. 49-50, pp. 235–282, Preveza, 2013. * George L. Zariphis, Οι αναμνήσεις μου. Ένας κόσμος που έφυγε. Κωνσταντινούπολη 1800-1920, Athens, 2002. {{DEFAULTSORT:Vlastos Kostia 1883 births 1967 deaths Greek military personnel of the Balkan Wars French balloonists French people of Greek descent Businesspeople from Paris War correspondents of the Balkan Wars Military personnel from Paris