George S. Mercouris

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George S. Mercouris (1886 – December 1943) (Greek: Γεώργιος Σ. Μερκούρης) was a Greek politician who founded the Greek National Socialist Party.

Born in Athens, he studied politics and economics there, Paris, and London. Elected as parliamentary deputy in 1915, he served until 1929. He was Minister for Food and Supply in the Petros Protopapadakis cabinet in 1921. He became Minister for the National Economy in 1926. He served as the Greek delegate to the League of Nations in 1927.

Mercouris was re-elected to parliament, in September of 1932, and made vice-president of the People's Party which he left in November after a disagreement with its leader Panagis Tsaldaris. In December he founded the Greek National Socialist Party.

Mercouris represented the party at the Fascist International meeting, in Montreux on December 16/17 of 1934. He was among the more germanophilic adherents of the largely Italian fascism oriented authoritarian, corporatist, and anti-communist movement.

He acted as an intermediary between Greece and Nazi Germany. Prime Minister Ioannis Rallis (during the Axis occupation) appointed him Governor of the Bank of Greece in 1943.

He died of a heart attack.

Mercouris was the uncle of the actress, singer, and politician, Melina Mercouri.

[edit] References

• Biographical Dictionary of the Extreme Right Since 1890 edited by Philip Rees, 1991, ISBN 0-13-089301-3
• Who Were the Fascists?: Social Roots of European Fascism edited by Stein Ugelvik Larsen, Jan P. Myklebust, and Bernt Hagtvet, 1980, ISBN 82-00-05331-8
• I Was Born Greek by Melina Mercouri, 1971, ISBN 0340106115