Stavros Spyrou Niarchos (Greek: Σταύρος Σπύρου Νιάρχος, pronounced [ˈstavros ˈspiru 'ɲarxos]; 3 July 1909 – 15 April 1996) was a Greek billionaire shipping tycoon. Starting in 1952, he had the world's biggest supertankers built for his fleet. Propelled by both the Suez Crisis and increasing demand for oil, he and rival Aristotle Onassis became giants in global petroleum shipping.
Stavros was born in Athens 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, had married a Maltese woman, a daughter from a noble family in Malta, 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, 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 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, after which he went to work for his maternal uncles in the Koumantaros family's grain business. During this period, he became involved in shipping by convincing his uncles their firm would be more profitable if it owned its own ships.[2]
Shipping career
Niarchos was a naval officer in World War II, 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[3] after having been gifted to King Fahd of Saudi Arabia.[4]
He then founded Niarchos Ltd., an international shipping company that at one time operated more than 80 tankers worldwide. He and Aristotle Onassis were great shipping rivals. In 1952, high-capacity oil supertankers were built for the competing Niarchos and Onassis fleets, who both claimed to own the largest tanker in the world.[5] In 1955, Vickers Armstrongs Shipbuilders Ltd launched the 30,708 GRT[6] SS Spyros Niarchos. Then the world's largest supertanker,[7] it was named after Niarchos' second son, Spyros, born earlier that year.
In 1956, the Suez Canal Crisis considerably increased the demand for the type of large-tonnage ships that Niarchos owned. Business flourished and he became a billionaire.
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,[8] whom he divorced in 1947.[9]
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, in Mexico.[9] 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 recognised by Greek law.
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, 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).
Konstantin, or Constantine Niarchos (1962–1999); married firstly 1987 (divorced) Princess Alessandra Borghese, no issue; married secondly the Brazilian artist Sylvia Martins, no issue. He was the first Greek to scale Mount Everest. 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.[citation needed]
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 in Lausanne. At his death, his fortune was estimated to be worth $12 billion.[11] When Niarchos died, he left 20% of his fortune to a charitable trust to be established in his name and the remainder to his three sons and daughter Maria by his marriage to Greek shipping heiress Eugenia Livanos, a nephew, and a great nephew. He notably excluded from his will Elena Ford, his daughter by his ex-wife Charlotte. She sued the estate in both Swiss and Greek courts for her 1/10th share, estimated to be worth £700 million.[12][11]
Thoroughbred horse racing
Niarchos began investing in thoroughbred horse racing 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 and the UK.[13] He acquired the Haras de Fresnay-le-Buffardhorse breeding farm in Neuvy-au-Houlme, France and Oak Tree Farm in Lexington, Kentucky where in 1984 he bred his most successful horse, Miesque.[14] 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, whose skill was a vital element of Niarchos' success in the field.[15][16]
After his death in 1996, his daughter Maria Niarchos-Gouazé took charge of racing operations.[17] She too was successful, her colt Bago winning France's most important race, the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, in 2004, and her filly Divine Proportions capturing the 2005 Prix de Diane by winning 9 out of her 10 races until a serious tendon injury cut the horse's racing career short.
. Time. 22 February 1954. Archived from the original on 14 May 2007. Retrieved 14 April 2008.
. Time. 24 December 1965. Archived from the original on 14 May 2009. Retrieved 14 April 2008.
"Milestones". Time. 29 April 1996. Retrieved 14 April 2008.[dead link]
Further reading
. Time. 14 September 1953. Archived from the original on 13 June 2008. Retrieved 14 April 2008.
. Time. 6 August 1956. Archived from the original on 6 December 2006. Retrieved 14 April 2008.
. Time. 6 August 1956. Archived from the original on 13 June 2008. Retrieved 14 April 2008.
. Time. 4 November 1957. Archived from the original on 13 June 2008. Retrieved 14 April 2008.
. Time. 11 July 1960. Archived from the original on 13 June 2008. Retrieved 14 April 2008.
. Time. 21 March 1968. Archived from the original on 13 June 2008. Retrieved 14 April 2008.
. Time. 12 April 1968. Archived from the original on 13 June 2008. Retrieved 14 April 2008.
. Time. 30 May 1969. Archived from the original on 13 June 2008. Retrieved 14 April 2008.
. Time. 4 August 1975. Archived from the original on 30 January 2008. Retrieved 14 April 2008.
External links
The Stavros Niarchos Foundation
Niarchos Group
August 20, 2023
stavros, niarchos, this, article, about, greek, shipping, magnate, ship, stavros, niarchos, others, uses, disambiguation, stavros, spyrou, niarchos, greek, Σταύρος, Σπύρου, Νιάρχος, pronounced, ˈstavros, ˈspiru, ɲarxos, july, 1909, april, 1996, greek, billiona. This article is about the Greek shipping magnate For the ship see Stavros S Niarchos For others uses see Stavros Niarchos disambiguation Stavros Spyrou Niarchos Greek Stayros Spyroy Niarxos pronounced ˈstavros ˈspiru ɲarxos 3 July 1909 15 April 1996 was a Greek billionaire shipping tycoon Starting in 1952 he had the world s biggest supertankers built for his fleet Propelled by both the Suez Crisis and increasing demand for oil he and rival Aristotle Onassis became giants in global petroleum shipping Stavros NiarchosBornStavros Spyrou Niarchos 1909 07 03 3 July 1909Athens GreeceDied15 April 1996 1996 04 15 aged 86 Zurich Switzerland 1 NationalityGreekAlma materUniversity of AthensOccupationShipping tycoonSpousesHelen Sporides m 1930 div 1931 wbr Melpomene Capparis m 1939 div 1947 wbr Eugenia Livanos m 1947 div 1965 wbr Charlotte Ford m 1965 div 1967 wbr Athina Mary Livanos m 1971 died 1974 wbr 1 ChildrenMariaPhilipSpyrosKonstantinElenaNiarchos was also a noted thoroughbred horse breeder and racer several times the leading owner and number one on the French breed list Contents 1 Early life 2 Shipping career 3 Personal life 3 1 Marriages 3 2 Children 4 Death 5 Thoroughbred horse racing 6 See also 7 References 8 Bibliography 9 Further reading 10 External linksEarly life EditStavros was born in Athens 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 had married a Maltese woman a daughter from a noble family in Malta 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 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 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 after which he went to work for his maternal uncles in the Koumantaros family s grain business During this period he became involved in shipping by convincing his uncles their firm would be more profitable if it owned its own ships 2 Shipping career EditNiarchos was a naval officer in World War II 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 3 after having been gifted to King Fahd of Saudi Arabia 4 He then founded Niarchos Ltd an international shipping company that at one time operated more than 80 tankers worldwide He and Aristotle Onassis were great shipping rivals In 1952 high capacity oil supertankers were built for the competing Niarchos and Onassis fleets who both claimed to own the largest tanker in the world 5 In 1955 Vickers Armstrongs Shipbuilders Ltd launched the 30 708 GRT 6 SS Spyros Niarchos Then the world s largest supertanker 7 it was named after Niarchos second son Spyros born earlier that year In 1956 the Suez Canal Crisis considerably increased the demand for the type of large tonnage ships that Niarchos owned Business flourished and he became a billionaire Personal life EditMarriages Edit 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 8 whom he divorced in 1947 9 To Eugenia Livanos 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 barbiturates 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 in Mexico 9 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 recognised 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 She died of an overdose in 1974 citation needed From the late 1970s until his death he was linked to Princess Firyal of Jordan 10 He was also said to be linked to Princess Maria Gabriella of Savoy citation needed Children Edit 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 Gouaze Mother of two children Artur Gouaze and Maia Gouaze Philip 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 Furstenberg 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 b 1967 daughter of Jonathan Guinness 3rd Baron Moyne 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 no issue He was the first Greek to scale Mount Everest 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 citation needed 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 EditNiarchos died in 1996 in Zurich He is buried in the family tomb in the Bois de Vaux Cemetery in Lausanne At his death his fortune was estimated to be worth 12 billion 11 When Niarchos died he left 20 of his fortune to a charitable trust to be established in his name and the remainder to his three sons and daughter Maria by his marriage to Greek shipping heiress Eugenia Livanos a nephew and a great nephew He notably excluded from his will Elena Ford his daughter by his ex wife Charlotte She sued the estate in both Swiss and Greek courts for her 1 10th share estimated to be worth 700 million 12 11 Thoroughbred horse racing EditNiarchos began investing in thoroughbred horse racing 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 and the UK 13 He acquired the Haras de Fresnay le Buffard horse breeding farm in Neuvy au Houlme France and Oak Tree Farm in Lexington Kentucky where in 1984 he bred his most successful horse Miesque 14 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 Francois Boutin whose skill was a vital element of Niarchos success in the field 15 16 After his death in 1996 his daughter Maria Niarchos Gouaze took charge of racing operations 17 She too was successful her colt Bago winning France s most important race the Prix de l Arc de Triomphe in 2004 and her filly Divine Proportions capturing the 2005 Prix de Diane by winning 9 out of her 10 races until a serious tendon injury cut the horse s racing career short See also EditStavros Niarchos FoundationReferences Edit a b Milestones Time 29 April 1996 Idryma Stayros S Niarxos Stavros S Niarchos Foundation in Greek Archived from the original on 6 November 2004 Retrieved 6 October 2019 16 Issham al Baher Yachts International Retrieved 31 July 2020 Top 20 Classic Yachts Boat International Retrieved 18 March 2015 Biggest Tanker Time 22 February 1954 Meare David Tirgoviste and Spyros Niarchos IMO 5337329 ShipSpotting com Retrieved 19 March 2015 Corlett 1981 p 25 Tina Niarchos Dead at 45 Wife of Greek Millionaire The New York Times 12 October 1974 Retrieved 25 April 2017 a b An International Marriage Time 24 December 1965 Gregorian Dareh 5 August 2009 Princess amp Plea Stop Taking Our Dad s Millions New York Post Retrieved 31 July 2020 a b Celebrity Gossip Google Groups Retrieved 31 July 2020 Bearing More Gifts from Golden Greek 23 October 1997 Archived from the original on 10 September 2016 Retrieved 11 February 2017 Voss Natalie 14 September 2013 Keeneland Sales Legends Stavros Niarchos Paulick Report Retrieved 18 March 2015 Haras de Fresnay le Buffard For Sale By Niarchos Family Thoroughbred Daily News 22 February 2023 Moschos Michael 18 April 1996 Obituary Stavros Niarchos The Independent Retrieved 18 March 2015 Thomas Robert Jr 18 April 1996 Stavros Niarchos Greek Shipping Magnate And the Archrival of Onassis Is Dead at 86 The New York Times Shuback Alan 23 November 2007 Niarchos family s saga of success Daily Racing Forum Retrieved 19 March 2015 Bibliography EditCorlett Ewan 1981 The Revolution in Merchant Shipping 1950 1980 The Ship Series editor Basil Greenhill London Her Majesty s Stationery Office on behalf of the National Maritime Museum ISBN 0 11 290320 7 Biggest Tanker Time 22 February 1954 Archived from the original on 14 May 2007 Retrieved 14 April 2008 An International Marriage Time 24 December 1965 Archived from the original on 14 May 2009 Retrieved 14 April 2008 Milestones Time 29 April 1996 Retrieved 14 April 2008 dead link Further reading Edit Ship Seizure Time 14 September 1953 Archived from the original on 13 June 2008 Retrieved 14 April 2008 Cover Time 6 August 1956 Archived from the original on 6 December 2006 Retrieved 14 April 2008 The New Argonauts Time 6 August 1956 Archived from the original on 13 June 2008 Retrieved 14 April 2008 The Golden Fleece Time 4 November 1957 Archived from the original on 13 June 2008 Retrieved 14 April 2008 Oil from Russia Time 11 July 1960 Archived from the original on 13 June 2008 Retrieved 14 April 2008 When Giants Clash Time 21 March 1968 Archived from the original on 13 June 2008 Retrieved 14 April 2008 Rivalry of Riches Time 12 April 1968 Archived from the original on 13 June 2008 Retrieved 14 April 2008 The Burgher from Minnesota Time 30 May 1969 Archived from the original on 13 June 2008 Retrieved 14 April 2008 The Multi million Dollar Match Time 4 August 1975 Archived from the original on 30 January 2008 Retrieved 14 April 2008 External links EditThe Stavros Niarchos Foundation Niarchos Group Mentioned in Time s People section Monday Sep 28 1970 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Stavros Niarchos amp oldid 1170187919, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
