Glafcos Clerides
| Glafcos Clerides | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 4th President of Cyprus | |
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In office 28 February 1993 – 28 February 2003 |
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| Preceded by | George Vasiliou |
| Succeeded by | Tassos Papadopoulos |
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In office 23 July 1974 – 7 December 1974 |
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| Preceded by | Nikos Sampson (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Archbishop Makarios III |
| 1st President of the House of Representatives | |
|
In office 1960–1976 |
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| Preceded by | New office |
| Succeeded by | Tassos Papadopoulos |
| 1st President of DISY | |
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In office 1976–1993 |
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| Succeeded by | Yiannakis Matsis |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
24 April 1919 Nicosia, Cyprus |
| Died | 15 November 2013 (aged 94) Nicosia, Cyprus |
| Nationality | Cypriot |
| Political party |
Eniaion (1969-1976) Democratic Rally (from 1976) |
| Spouse(s) | Lilla Erulkar (1946-2007) |
| Alma mater | King's College London |
| Religion | Greek Orthodox Church |
| Signature |  |
Glafcos Ioannou Clerides (Greek: Γλαύκος Ιωάννου Κληρίδης; 24 April 1919 – 15 November 2013) was a Greek Cypriot politician and barrister who served as the fourth President of Cyprus from 1993 to 2003. At the time of his death, he was the oldest living former President of Cyprus.
Clerides was born and died in Nicosia. He was the eldest son of the lawyer and statesman Ioannis Clerides and Elli Argyridou. He had one sister, Chrysanthi, and one brother, Xanthos. Clerides married Bombay-born Indian Jew Lilla Erulkar, daughter of Dr Abraham Erulkar, personal physician to Mahatma Gandhi, in London in September 1946. They have a daughter, Katherine (born 1949 in London), who was a member of the House of the Representatives for the Democratic Rally Party. He died on 15 November 2013 at a hospital in Nicosia. He was 94.
During World War II, he served in the British Royal Air Force. In 1942 his airplane was shot down over Germany and he was captured. He remained a prisoner of war until the end of the war. His name was mentioned in dispatches for distinguished services.
Following the war, he studied law at King's College London graduated in 1948 as a barrister through Gray's Inn, and later practiced law in Cyprus. He was a member of the EOKA organization that sought the liberation of Cyprus from British Rule and participated in the struggle under the pseudonym "Ypereides." During that period he defended numerous EOKA fighters arrested by the British. One of his most famous accomplishments was a preparation of a dossier that enumerated and provided evidence of instances of Human Rights violations by the Imperial administration of Cyprus and its agents.
Clerides participated in the 1959 London Conference on Cyprus and during the transitional period, from colonial administration to independence (1959–1960), he served as Minister of Justice. During the same period he was Head of the Greek Cypriot delegation in the Joint Constitutional Committee. In July 1960, he was elected to the House of Representatives which, in turn, elected him as its first President. He held this position until 22 July 1976. In the first presidential elections Clerides backed Makarios III, the other candidate being his father Ioannis Clerides.
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