Sofoklis Venizelos

Sofoklis Venizelos (; 3 November 1894 – 7 February 1964) was a Greek politician who served three times as Prime Minister of Greece: in 1944 (in exile), 1950 and 1950–1951.

Life and career Venizelos was born on 3 November 1894 in Chania, Crete (then a part of the Ottoman Empire; it became an autonomous state under Ottoman suzerainty and the protection of Russia, Britain, France, and Italy in 1898). He was the second-born son of the politician Eleftherios Venizelos. His mother died due to his birth. thumb Sophoklis Venizelos with his father Eleftherios and his brother in 1905, during the Theriso revolt.During World War I, he served with distinction in the Hellenic Army and the initial phases of the Asia Minor campaign, reaching the rank of Captain of Infantry.

He resigned from the Army and was elected as an MP with his father's Liberal Party in the 1920 elections.

Venizelos (standing right) with his father and Ms. Kathleen Zervudachi, a few days after their wedding, Nice, 1921. In 1941, after the Axis occupation of Greece, he became ambassador to the United States, representing the Greek government in exile based in Cairo. He became a minister of that government in 1943 under Prime Minister Emmanuel Tsuderos and briefly became its prime minister in 1944 (April 13–26).

After the end of the war, he returned to Greece, where he became Vice President of the Liberal Party (led by Themistoklis Sofoulis) and a minister in the first post-war government led by Georgios Papandreou.

In 1948, he assumed the party's leadership and became a minister in several short-lived liberal governments led by Papandreou and Nikolaos Plastiras; he was also the Prime Minister of three such governments.

In 1954, his longtime friendship with Georgios Papandreou was shaken, and he formed the rival coalition.

The rift was bridged in 1958, and in 1961, he became a founding member of Papandreou's Center Union party, which he served until he died in 1964.

On 6 February 1964, in the evening, he gave a pre-election speech in Chania. There, he had felt unwell, which he overcame. Later, he boarded the passenger ship Hellas in the Aegean Sea, en route from Chania to Piraeus or Syros. In the cabin, he felt discomfort and had shortness of breath. His attending physician diagnosed acute pulmonary edema. Venizelos died at 01:05 on 7 February. The ship returned to Souda. His funeral took place on 9 February in Chania, in the presence of Crown Prince Constantine (who represented the ailing King Paul), Prime Minister Ioannis Paraskevopoulos, Georgios Papandreou, Panagiotis Kanellopoulos, Spyros Markezinis, and Nicolas Kitsikis. Venizelos was buried next to his father, Eleftherios Venizelos. His wife Kathleen died in 1983, aged 86. In his honor, the shipping company ANEK Lines named one of its ferries after him.

Bridge Venizelos was a contract bridge player "of international stature" during the 1930s as a voluntary exile in France. France won the 1935 tournament and a version of the team traveled to New York City late that year for a match against the Four Aces, which was "an unofficial world championship match" that the Aces won.

Venizelos/Mitsotakis family tree