Stavros G. Livanos


Stavros George Livanos, was a Greek shipowner, native of the northern Aegean Sea island of Chios, and the founder of the Livanos shipping empire. He was also a rival as well as father-in-law to billionaire Greek shipping tycoons Aristotle Onassis and Stavros Niarchos.

Early life

The Livanos family, originating from Kardamyla in the Aegean island of Chios, after centuries of professional activity of its members as sailors and captains, first became ship-owners at the end of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th century, operating a fleet of sailing barques. The Massacre of Chios in 1822 caused the destruction of the family ship-owning business, which, however, was eventually revived in the course of the 19th century, with the purchase of the ship S/V Kaesar by Georgios M. Livanos in 1878.
Stavros Livanos was born in Chios in 1887. 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."

Marriage and descendants

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.