Stavros Niarchos

He was born in Athens, son of Spyros Niarchos and his wife, Eugenia Coumandaros. His parents were naturalized Americans and had owned a department store in Buffalo, New York before returning to Greece, three months prior to his birth. He studied law at the University of Athens, after which he went to work in the Coumandaros family's grain business. During this period, he became involved in shipping by convincing his relatives that greater profits could be achieved if the firm owned the ships involved.

He was a naval officer in World War II, during which time part of the trade fleet he had built with his uncle was destroyed. He used about two million dollars in insurance money to build a new fleet, and he was the owner of the yacht Atlantis.

Stavros Niarchos founded Niarchos Ltd., an international shipping company that at one time operated more than 80 tankers worldwide. Read Less