Stavros G. Livanos

Stavros George Livanos (Greek: Σταύρος Λιβανός; 1891–1963), a native of Chios, was the founder of the Livanos shipping empire and was a rival as well as father-in-law to billionaire Greek shipping tycoons Aristotle Onassis and Stavros Niarchos.

Livanos was born and died on Chios, a third-generation sailor. The third of four sons of steamship owner George Livanos, he turned the outbreak of the First World War into opportunities. Even during the postwar demise of the shipping boom, Livanos managed to stay on top by investing only with cash instead of credit. He was notoriously tight with his money, a claim that the late Stavros Niarchos remembered as accurate., Confirming his reputation for high cash-investment in his ships, Livanos once said, "I have no money. I have ships."

In 1924, he married Arietta Zafirakis (1909–1986) and had three children:

The Livanos family lived in London most of the time. It was in London during the First World War that Livanos built the foundation of his empire. Yet they also had a lavish villa, known as Bella Vista, on Chios.

He is the great-grandfather of Athina Roussel Onassis de Miranda and of Stavros Niarchos III the ex-boyfriend of Paris Hilton

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