Stavros Niarhos

Next to the name of Aristotle Onasis stands the name of another tycoon of Greek origin, that of Stavros Niarhos. Niarhos was born in Athens to a wealthy family. After receiving his doctorate in law, he worked for his uncle who was a ship owner. At the age of 25, Niarhos was already independent. In World War II he was a naval officer, and during his service, the trade fleet that he had acquired working with his uncle, was destroyed and it was the two million dollar insurance that helped him to rebuild it.

Niarhos built the first oil super tankers in 1952. The Suez Canal Crisis in 1956 was a lucky turn of events for him, because of the great demand for large ships. His business flourished and he became a billionaire, like his rival Onasis. Niarhos was quite famous for his marriages. His first was with Henry Ford's daughter, whom he divorced to marry George Livanos' sister, Evgenia. When she passed away, he married her sister, Tina Onasis, who was Aristotle Onasis' ex-wife. At that time, his fortune was 4 billion dollars. After the oil crisis in 1973, he sold some of his companies and tried his fortune in finances and in the diamond trade. He died in Zurich in 1996.