Pavlos Kountouriotis | |
---|---|
Παύλος Κουντουριώτης | |
President of Greece | |
In office 24 August 1926 – 10 December 1929 | |
Prime Minister | See list
|
Preceded by | Theodoros Pangalos |
Succeeded by | Alexandros Zaimis |
In office 25 March 1924 – 6 April 1926 | |
Prime Minister | See list
|
Preceded by | George II (as King of the Hellenes) |
Succeeded by | Theodoros Pangalos |
Regent of Greece | |
In office 23 December 1923 – 25 March 1924 | |
Monarch | George II |
Prime Minister | See list
|
In office 28 October 1920 – 17 November 1920 | |
Monarch | Vacant |
Prime Minister | Eleftherios Venizelos |
Succeeded by | Queen Mother Olga |
Minister of the Navy | |
In office 24 September 1915 – 9 June 1916 | |
Monarch | Constantine I |
Prime Minister |
|
Preceded by | Athanasios N. Miaoulis |
Succeeded by | Konstantinos Kallaris |
Personal details | |
Born | Hydra, Kingdom of Greece | 9 April 1855
Died | 22 August 1935 Palaio Faliro, Second Hellenic Republic | (aged 80)
Resting place | Hydra, Greece |
Political party | Independent (Venizelist) |
Spouses | Angeliki Petrokokkinou
(m. 1889; died 1903)Helen Koupas (m. 1918) |
Relations |
|
Children | 3, including Theodoros |
Occupation |
|
Awards | Grand Commander of the Order of the Redeemer |
Signature | |
Military service | |
Allegiance | Kingdom of Greece |
Branch/service | Royal Hellenic Navy |
Years of service | 1875–1917 |
Rank | Návarchos (admiral) |
Commands |
|
Battles/wars | |
Pavlos Kountouriotis (Greek: Παύλος Κουντουριώτης; 9 April 1855 – 22 August 1935) was a Greek admiral who served during the Balkan Wars, was regent of Greece, and the first president of the Second Hellenic Republic. In total he served four times as head of the Greek state, the most times in the history of the seat.
Pavlos Kountouriotis was born on the island of Hydra to Theodoros Kountouriotis, Consul and Member of the Greek Parliament and Loukia Negreponte. From his father's side he descended from the Kountouriotis, an Arvanite Hydriot family originally from the village of Kountoura, in the Megarid. Pavlos used Arvanitika frequently as well, and his personal secretary wrote about him that whenever he traveled to Hydra he preferred to use only Arvanitika.[1] He was the grandson of Georgios, a shipowner who like many members of his family, participated in the Greek War of Independence and served as Prime Minister of Greece under King Otto. From his mother's side he was descended from the Negreponte family, a prominent family from Chios and was great-grandson of Constantine Hangerli, Prince of Wallachia. He was the second of nine children, including Ioannis Kountouriotis . Little is known of Pavlos' childhood. In 1875, following his family's long-standing naval tradition, he joined the Royal Hellenic Navy, presumably in the rank of Ensign.[citation needed]
In 1916, he became a minister in the Stephanos Skouloudis government, but, in disagreement with the pro-German feelings of King Constantine I, he followed Eleftherios Venizelos to Thessaloniki where he was assigned the ministry of Naval Affairs in Venizelos' National Defence government. Konstantínos was deposed, and replaced on the throne by his second-eldest son, The Prince Alexander. Kountouriotis subsequently retired from the navy with the honorary rank of full Admiral. On the death of the young King Alexander in 1920, he was elected Regent of Greece by the Greek Parliament on 28 October by a vote of 137 to 3.[3] After the sitting government of Venizelos was defeated in the elections that took place in November 1920, Kountouriotis resigned as Regent on 17 November, to be replaced by Queen Olga, King Alexander's grandmother. The following month, King Constantine was restored.
After King George II of Greece was deposed, he served as the first president (provisional) of the Second Hellenic Republic, from September 1925 until his resignation in March 1926; in opposition to General Pangalos' dictatorship. He served a second time as a provisional president from August 1926 until December 1929.[4]
Admiral Pávlos Kountouriotis died in 1935. Α World War II Greek destroyer and a Standard-class frigate, Kountouriotis, are named after him.
One of the two gold 100-Euro coins issued by Greece in 2012 to commemorate the centenary of the Balkan Wars featured Kountouriotis and Georgios Averof.[5]