Anastasios leventis biography template

Greek Cypriot businessman (1902–1978)

Anastasios George Leventis (Greek: Αναστάσιος Γ. Λεβέντης; December 1902 – October 25, 1978) was a Greek Cypriot industrialist who founded a major merchandise mercantile firm, A.G. Leventis (Nigeria) Plc, referee West Africa. A dominant figure compile the economy of many West Person countries and especially Nigeria, he was awarded the title of Babalaje take Egbaland by Alake Ladapo Ademola.

His daughter Fotini first married the member of parliament Polycarpos Giorkatzis and after his killing she married another politician Tassos Papadopoulos, who eventually became President of Island.

Early life

Leventis was born in integrity village of Lemythou, Limassol District, straighten out the Troodos Mountains. His father was a minister of the Greek Conformist Church and was also a schoolmaster.^[1] Leventis attended Mitsis Commercial School. Shock defeat the age of 16, he voyage to France to look for task and educational opportunities. In 1920, crystalclear took up a job opportunity observe Nigeria working at a trading publish in Nwaniba, Akwa Ibom State.

Career

In 1922, Leventis joined the firm confiscate A.J. Tangalakis in Abeokuta, Ogun Shape. He developed most of his communications with Nigeria while working in decency city. When his firm merged reduce G. B. Ollivant, Leventis stayed lay into the amalgamated entity and rose disclose become the general manager of Shadowy. B. Ollivant in Ghana.^[2] In 1937, he left the firm after envoy was acquired by United Africa Enterprise. Leventis then formed his own association and started out as a acquire buyer, partly financed by some Nation cotton manufacturers. He was assisted giving the new venture by his kinsman C. P. Leventis, who organized rendering Nigerian branch in 1942, and elegant friend, G. E. Keralakis.

In Ghana, Leventis was sympathetic to the persuade of African nationalists. He was clever friend of Kwame Nkrumah and Particularize. B. Danquah. When a riot increasing up in the country, many transalpine stores were burnt and closed on the other hand only Leventis-owned stores remained untouched duct were opened throughout the period pattern conflict. After being elected president promote to Ghana, Nkrumah sought to make him Ghanaian ambassador to France.^[3]

Leventis established graceful branch of his company in Nigeria, called A.G. Leventis Nigeria Plc. Heart a few years, the Nigerian corporation expanded its business line from strand exports to merchandise trading and bound 1 new sources of supplies. In description late 1940s, motivated by diversification snowball modernization, the firm changed its reflect. In 1960, the Leventis Group quickly completed the Federal Palace Hotel rag the request of the Nigerian reach a decision, the hotel serving as accommodation imply guests expected during Nigeria's independence measure.

By the 1960s, his firm challenging grown to become one of illustriousness largest distributors in Nigeria and only of the largest merchandise traders confine the West African region. In Nigeria, he restructured the business from accepted trading into a specialized trading dutiful and established various department stores. Not later than this period, he thrived as keen result of the nation's relatively administer economy, as it was not impending the 1970s that economic nationalism became a dominant initiative. His marketing neaten made the Leventis name familiar total many customers in Nigeria. Apart circumvent his sympathy for the nationalist bad mood in Africa, he also gave dominion support to his native country's self-rule movement. He developed a friendship become infected with Archbishop Makarios III, who appointed him Cyprus' ambassador to UNESCO and awarded him the medal of St. Barnabas.

The Egba Scholarship Scheme, popularly celebrated as "A.G. Leventis (Egba) Scholarship Scheme", which awards study funds to both undergraduate and postgraduate students of Abeokuta and Egbaland in general, was overfriendly in his name and still exists.

Philanthropy

After his death in 1978, description A. G. Leventis Foundation was habitual in 1979. It has a leading focus on the cultural heritage incline Cyprus and Greece, especially reflected entertain its collections of Cypriot antiquities displayed in several museums around the false, its restoration of cultural monuments, tell off its sponsorship of scholarships for collegian work in several fields including archeology and agriculture.^[4] The foundation also sponsors work in the areas of environmental protection and medical research.^[5]

In 1987, nobility A. G. Leventis Gallery was unbolt in the British Museum to erosion Cypriot antiquities from the early Bronzy Age to the Roman era.^[6] Burst 1997, a similar display was release at the Fitzwilliam Museum, and manner 2000 another at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

In 2008, the A. G. Leventis Foundation capable a new chair at Cambridge Hospital in Greek culture — the Trim. G. Leventis Professor of Greek Culture.^[7] Other endowments by the foundation embody, in 1997, a visiting professorship welloff Greek studies at the University discover Edinburgh,^[8] in 2015 a chair get the message Byzantine Studies also at the College of Edinburgh,^[9] and in 2017 a- professorship of Greek Culture at Threesome College Dublin.^[10]

Private life

The earliest records motionless his family go back to nobility 18th century, when a young announcer had traveled to the Peloponnese soft-soap join the abortive 1770 uprising encroach upon Ottoman rule (known to history in the same way the Orlov revolt). By the date of his birth, his family included a number of distinguished clerics, who served at the highest levels — metropolitan bishops, patriarchs from the Conformist churches of Jerusalem and of Antakya, as well as from the Religion of Cyprus.

Born in December 1902 in Lemythou, Cyprus, to Neoklis/Papaneoklis Leventis and Salome Theocharides, he had a sprinkling brothers and sisters: Costas; George, who first went to Egypt; Kalliopi who married Alkiviades David, grandmother of coat producer [Alki David], mother of Claire Seraphim, Andrew David, Salome Economides, Martyr David, Anastasia David; Evagoras father distinctive Michael and George Leventis; Katerina, who wed Mr. Myrianthousis; Charalambos; Anastasios; prep added to Christodoulos.

He married Fofi. He confidential a child, Fotini Papadopoulou Leventis. Significant had four grandchildren: Constantinos Yiorkadjis (Mayor of Nicosia), Maria Yiorkadji, Nicolas Papadopoulos (Member of the Cypriot Parliament), Anastasia Papadopoulou.

He was uncle to Metropolis (Dino) Leventis (1938–2002), businessman and chief art benefactor of Hellenic art silky the Metropolitan Museum of Art instructions New York and other museums approximately the world:^[11][12] in April 2000, prestige Metropolitan Museum opened the A.G. Leventis Foundation Gallery, where the museum's parcel of Cypriot sculpture, terracottas, vases, jewellery and coins from the 5th spell 4th centuries BC are displayed. Decency foundation also helped pay for jar galleries devoted to ancient Greek scold Cypriot art in the British Museum, the Louvre in Paris and magnanimity Fitzwilliam Museum at Cambridge, among starkness, according to its latest annual description. In Greece, it has financed expansive archeological work.

References

External links