Sophoklis Venizelos

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sophoklis Venizelos (Greek: Σοφοκλής Βενιζέλος, born 1894, died 1964) was a prominent Greek politician who twice served as Prime Minister of Greece.

The second-born son of Eleftherios Venizelos, Sophoklis served with distinction in the Greek Army during the First World War and the initial phases of the Asia Minor campaign, reaching the rank of Captain of Artillery. He resigned from the Army and was elected as a MP with his father's Liberal Party in the 1920 elections. In 1941, after Greece was occupied by German troops, 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, and its Prime Minister in 1944.

After the end of the war, he returned to Greece where he became Vice President of the Liberal Party (led by Themistoklis Sophoulis) and a minister in the first post-war government led by Georgios Papandreou. In 1948, he assumed the leadership of the party and became a minister in a number of short-lived liberal governments led by Papandreou and Nikolaos Plastiras; he was also the Prime Minister of two such governments.

In 1954, his long time friendship with Georgios Papandreou was shaken, and he formed the rival Liberal Democratic Union party. The rift was bridged in 1958, and in 1961 he became a founding member of Papandreou's Center Union party, which he served until his death in 1964. His grave lies next to his father's on the island of Crete.

Preceded by: Emmanouil Tsouderos	Prime Minister of Greece April 13, 1944 - April 26, 1944 (in exile in Cairo)	Succeeded by: George Papandreou
Preceded by: Ioannis Theotokis	Prime Minister of Greece March 23, 1950 - April 15, 1950	Succeeded by: Nikolaos Plastiras
Preceded by: Nikolaos Plastiras	Prime Minister of Greece August 21, 1950 - November 1, 1951	Succeeded by: Nikolaos Plastiras