Panayis Athanase Vagliano
Panayis Athanase Vagliano (Greek: Παναγής Βαλλιάνος, romanized: Panagis Vallianos; 1814–1902) was a Greek merchant and shipowner, acclaimed as the 'father of modern Greek shipping'.
He was born in
Russia
He joined his brothers Marinos and Andreas, initially settling in
After the war ended, fellow Greeks had problems finding shippers for their cargoes from the
London
Vagliano moved his business to London in 1858, as grain merchants, bankers, and shippers, but kept in contact with Russia through his brothers. There was already a well-established Greek merchant community in London, and they assisted his membership of the Baltic Exchange from where his business thrived. His operation based in London avoided restrictive Greek commercial laws, enabling him to loan money to other Greeks for shipbuilding, and he was quoted as wishing for 'the seas covered with a thick forest of Greek masts'.
Legacies
Vagliano Bros. continued operating after his death, and survived the loss of its traditional markets in Russia and Turkey after World War I by concentrating on shipping and finance; in this way they helped develop Greek shipping dynasties.
However, he is probably best remembered in his native Greece for a donation that funded the
References
This article includes a improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (June 2017) ) |
Sources
- Stuart Thompstone Vagliano, Panayis Athanase Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
- Friends of West Norwood Cemetery ref: Vagliano & Vallianos
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 (2007). "From Diaspora Traders to Shipping Tycoons: The Vagliano Bros". Business History Review. 81 (2). Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press: 237–268. S2CID 154649118.