Aristotle Onassis
Aristotle Onassis | |
---|---|
Αριστοτέλης Ωνάσης | |
Skorpios Island , Greece | |
Citizenship |
|
Occupation | Businessman |
Spouses | |
Partner | Maria Callas (1959–1968) |
Children | |
Relatives | Athina Onassis (granddaughter) |
Aristotle Socrates Onassis (/oʊˈnæsɪs/, US also /-ˈnɑː-/;[1] Greek: Αριστοτέλης Ωνάσης, romanized: Aristotélis Onásis, pronounced [aristoˈtelis oˈnasis]; 20 January 1906 – 15 March 1975)[2] was a Greek and Argentine[3][4] business magnate. He amassed the world's largest privately-owned shipping fleet and was one of the world's richest and most famous men.[5] He was married to Athina Mary Livanos, had a long-standing affair with opera singer Maria Callas, and was married to American former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy.[6]
Onassis was born in
Early life
Anatolia
Aristotle Socrates Onassis was born in 1906 in
Smyrna was briefly administered by
Argentina
In 1923, Onassis returned to Istanbul with $250 in his pocket. In August of that year, he arrived in
Business
Shipping
Onassis built up a fleet of
The high profitability of the Onassis fleet has been attributed in large part to his disregard for standards that normally govern international shipping.
Monaco
Onassis arrived in the Mediterranean principality of
Onassis and Rainier had differing visions for Monaco. Onassis wished the country to remain a resort for an exclusive clientele, but Rainier wished to build hotels and attract a greater number of tourists.[19] Monaco had become less attractive as a tax haven in the wake of France's actions, and Rainier urged Onassis to invest in the construction of hotels.[20] Onassis was reluctant to invest in hotels without a guarantee from Rainier that no other competing hotel development would be permitted, but promised to build two hotels and an apartment block. Unwilling to give Onassis his guarantee, Rainier used his veto to cancel the entire hotel project, and publicly attacked SBM for their 'bad faith' on television, implicitly criticising Onassis. Rainier and Onassis remained at odds over the direction of the company for several years and in June 1966 Rainier approved a plan to create 600,000 new shares in SBM to be permanently held by the state,[21] which reduced Onassis's stake from 52% to under a third.[22] In the Supreme Court of Monaco the share creation was challenged by Onassis who claimed that it was unconstitutional, but the court found against him in March 1967. Following the ruling Onassis sold his holdings in SBM to the state of Monaco and left the country.[23] According to Frank Brady in Onassis: An Extravagant Life, Onassis's words about the issue were: "We were gypped."
Saudi Arabia
During the oil boom of the 1950s Onassis was in final discussions with the King of Saudi Arabia for securing a tanker transport deal.
For this reason he became a target of the US government and in 1954, the
Whaling
Between 1950 and 1956, Onassis had success whaling off the west coast of South America. His first expedition made a net profit of US$4.5 million. International agreements limited the number, size and dates between which whales could be taken. The Onassis factory ship and its attendant catcher ships paid little attention to these restrictions.[27] The Norwegian Whaling Gazette made accusations based on sailors' testimonials, such as one given by Bruno Schalaghecke who worked on the factory ship Olympic Challenger: "Pieces of fresh meat from the 124 whales we killed yesterday still remains on the deck. Among them all, just one could be considered adult. All animals that pass within the range of the harpoon are killed in cold blood."
In 1954 the government of Peru claimed the Onassis fleet were whaling within 200 miles of the coast of Peru without permission and sent naval vessels to intercept them. Peruvian air force planes were also sent and dropped bombs that exploded near the factory ship. Most vessels in the fleet were captured by the Peruvian vessels and taken to Payta where they were interned.[28]
The venture came to an end after the business was sold to Kyokuyo Hogei Kaisha Whaling Company, one of the biggest Japanese whaling companies, for $8.5 million.[29] Norwegian authorities suspected the involvement of Hjalmar Schacht in Onassis's whaling enterprises. Schacht had previously been connected with Onassis's Saudi Arabian deals.[30]
Olympic Airways
In 1956, Greek airlines in general faced economic difficulties, whereby companies like
Operation effectively started in 1957, with one DC-4, two DC-6s and 13 DC-3s. The following year saw 244,000 passengers transported. The agreement lasted until 10 December 1974, when a number of factors (namely, a series of strikes, shortage of passengers, fuel price increase, and a law from the new Greek government forbidding Olympic Airways to fire employees) led Onassis to terminate his contract.
Following this event, Paul Ioannidis, a high-ranking director from Olympic Airways, said the following of Onassis: "Deep down, [he] did not want to relinquish Olympic Airways. He found it flattering to own an airline. It was something in which he took deep pride. It was his accomplishment. He was married to the sea, but Olympic was his mistress. We used to say that he would spend all the money he made at sea with his mistress in the sky."
Onassis's time at the head of Olympic Airways is known as a golden era, due to investments he made in training and the acquisition of cutting-edge technology. For example, in 1959, he signed a deal with De Havilland to buy four Comet 4B jets. Onassis was also renowned for his attention to service quality, which led him to buy gold-plated utensils and candles for the dining service of the first-class section.
During 1974, the last year of Onassis's involvement with the company, Olympic Airways transported 2.5 million passengers and had a work force of 7,356 persons. At the time, his ownership of Olympic Airways distinguished Onassis as one of only two men in the world to own a private airline, the other being
Investments
Onassis was involved in the privatization of the Greek national airline and founded the privatized Olympic Airways (today Olympic Air) in 1957. Stocks accounted for one-third of his capital, held in oil companies in the United States, the Middle East, and Venezuela. He also owned additional shares that secured his control of 95 multinational businesses in five continents. He owned gold-processing plants in Argentina and Uruguay and a large share in an airline in Latin America and $4 million worth of investments in Brazil. Also, he owned companies like Olympic Maritime and Olympic Tourist; a chemical company in Persia; apartments in Paris, London, Monte Carlo, Athens, and Acapulco; a castle in South France; the Olympic Tower (a 52-storey high-rise in Manhattan); another building in Sutton Place; Olympic Airways and Air Navigation; the island of Skorpios; the 325 ft (99.06 m) luxury yacht Christina O and, finally, deposit accounts and accounts in treasuries in 217 banks in the whole world.[32]
Project Omega
In October 1968, amidst the
Relationships and family
Athina Livanos
Onassis married
Maria Callas
Onassis and legendary opera soprano Maria Callas carried on an affair despite the fact that they were both married. They met in 1957 during a party in Venice promoted by Elsa Maxwell. After this first encounter, Onassis commented to Spyros Skouras: "There [was] just a natural curiosity; after all, we were the most famous Greeks alive in the world."[38] Callas and Onassis both divorced their spouses but did not marry each other, although their relationship continued for many years.[11]
Jacqueline Kennedy
Onassis was a friend of Jacqueline Kennedy, widow of U.S. President John F. Kennedy. They married on 20 October 1968 on Onassis's private Greek island, Skorpios.
Onassis offered Mrs. Kennedy US$3 million to replace her Kennedy trust fund, which she would lose because she was remarrying.[39] After Onassis's death, she would receive US$150,000 each year for the rest of her life. The whole marital contract was discussed with Ted Kennedy.[39] Onassis's daughter Christina made it clear that she disliked Jacqueline Onassis, and after Alexander Onassis's death, she convinced her father that Jacqueline had some kind of curse due to the assassinations of John and Robert F. Kennedy.[40] After Onassis's death, Christina settled with Jackie Onassis for $25 million in exchange for Jackie not contesting Onassis's will.[41]
During their marriage, the couple inhabited six residences: her 15-room apartment at 1040 Fifth Avenue in New York City, her horse farm in New Jersey, his Ave. Foch apartment in Paris (88 Avenue Foch), his house in Athens, his house on Skorpios (his private island in Greece), and his yacht Christina O.
Death and legacy
Onassis died at age 69 on 15 March 1975 at the American Hospital of Paris in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, of respiratory failure, a complication of the myasthenia gravis from which he had suffered the last years of his life.[10] Onassis was buried on his island of Skorpios in Greece, alongside his son, Alexander and his sister, Artemis.[42] Onassis's will established a charitable foundation in memory of his son, the Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation, which received 45% of Onassis's estate. The remainder of his estate was left to his daughter, Christina. Christina's share has since passed to her only child Athina, at the time making Athina one of the wealthiest women in the world.[43]
The Boeing 727 which transported Onassis's remains was later purchased for US$100,000 by an American electrical engineer and turned into an unconventional private residence in Hillsboro, Oregon.[45]
See also
Notes
- ^ "Onassis". Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary.
- ^ "Aristotle Socrates Onassis". Encyclopædia Britannica.
- ^ a b "Biografia de Onassis Aristóteles Millonario Griego Armador de Barcos". historiaybiografias.com (in European Spanish). Retrieved 28 November 2017.
- ^ a b "La Argentina de Onassis". La Terminal, ida y vuelta a la realidad (in European Spanish). 7 December 2008. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
- ^ a b Hoenig, Gary (16 March 1975) "Headliners, Aristotle Onassis is Dead". New York Times
- ^ "22 iconic photos of life at sea". Boat International. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
- ^ Cafarakis, Christian (1972). Ari: O Fabuloso Onassis. Editora Expressão e Cultura.
- ISBN 978-0-9640104-0-6, p. 50
- ^ Hussein, Waris (1988) Onassis, the richest man in the world, TV movie.
- ^ a b "Aristotle Onassis". www.hellenicaworld.com. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
- ^ a b c The Diva and the Tycoon", by Sally Bedell Smith, New York Times, 5 November 2000
- ^ Spence, Lyndsy (21 October 2023). "Toxic relationships and drug abuse: Maria Callas's harrowing life". The Times. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
- ISBN 9780394494807
- ^ Transport Canada (20 October 2014). "Tanker Safety and Spill Prevention". Transport Canada. http://www.tc.gc.ca/en/services/marine/marine-pollution-environmental-response/vessel-safety-spill-prevention-response.html Retrieved 20 October 2018
- ^ Mostert, Noel. Ibid. Chapter 3, pp 59–60.
- ^ Evans 1987, p. 113.
- ^ Evans 1987, p. 114.
- ^ Evans 1987, p. 199.
- ^ "Obituary: Prince Rainier III of Monaco.", The Times, London, 7 April 2005, p. 58.
- ^ Nuzum, Thomas (5 December 1965). "Monte Carlo Has a Good Feud, but Glamor Is Gone", The Chicago Tribune, Section 1B, p. 1
- ^ "Mr. Onassis In Monaco Law Battle.", The Times, London, 22 August 1966, p. 6.
- ^ Evans 1987, p. 204.
- ^ Evans 1987, p. 206.
- S2CID 154961797.
- ^ National Security Council (1954). "US Objectives and Policies with respect to the Near East" (PDF). The National Security Archive. p. 6. Archived from the original on 17 June 2014. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "FBI Vaults File: Aristotle Onassis Part 2 of 11". Federal Bureau of Investigation. 1968. p. 5. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
- ISBN 0905838238.
- ^ "The man whose whalers have been seized by Peru: Mr Onassis". The Illustrated London News. 6032 (255): 961. 27 November 1954.
- ISBN 978-0295995595.
- ^ Evans 1987, p. 140.
- ISBN 978-0990757474.
- ^ "Onasis.gr – Everything about Aristotelis Onasis". onasis.gr. Archived from the original on 28 August 2019. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
- ^ Evans 1987, p. 231.
- ^ Evans 1987, p. 237.
- ^ Evans 1987, p. 102.
- ^ Evans 1987, p. 154.
- ^ Evans 1987, p. 190.
- ^ Evans 1987, p. 173.
- ^ a b "Jackie Kennedy: One of the world's most expensive women". India Today. 30 November 1977.
- ^ "Video Biography of Aristotles Onassis". Thebiographychannel.co.uk. 11 August 2008. Archived from the original on 25 March 2007. Retrieved 26 April 2009.
- ^ Lion, Ed (1 March 1981). "Book says Onassis planned to divorce Jackie before he died". UPI.
- ^ "Aristotle Onassis". www.onassis.org. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
- ^ Craig, Olga, and de Quetteville, Harry (26 January 2003). "Happy birthday, Athina. Here is your £2.5 billion inheritance " The Telegraph. Accessed: 6 March 2015
- ^ McFadden, Robert D. (24 May 1994) "Death of A First Lady: The Companion; Quietly at Her Side, Public at the End," The New York Times. Accessed: 6 March 2015
- ^ Fernandez, Celia; Bajuelos, Beatriz (26 December 2022). "73-year-old pays $370/month to live in a plane he bought for $100,000 from a salvage yard: 'I have no regrets'". CNBC.
References
- Evans, Peter (1987). Ari: The Life, Times and Women of Aristotle Onassis. London: Penguin. ISBN 978-0-14-009961-4.
- Gage, Nicholas (2000). Greek Fire, The Story of Maria Callas and Aristotle Onassis. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 978-0375402449.
Further reading
- Harlaftis, Gelina (2019). Creating Global Shipping: Aristotle Onassis, the Vagliano Brothers and the Business of Shipping, c.1820-1970 (Hardback). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781108475396.
- Harlaftis, Gelina (2014). "The Onassis Global Shipping Business: 1920s–1950s". Business History Review. 88 (2). Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press: 241–271. S2CID 154649095.
- Theotokas, Ioannis; Harlaftis, Gelina (2009). Leadership in World Shipping: Greek Family Firms in International Business. Houndmills Basingstoke, England: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-230-57642-1.