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{{Short description|Greek economist and politician}}
'''Sotirios Sotiropoulos''' ({{lang-el|Σωτήριος Σωτηρόπουλος}}, 1831-1898) was a [[Greece|Greek]] lawyer and politician and briefly served as [[List of Prime Ministers of Greece|Prime Minister of Greece]].
[[File:Sotiropoulos.jpg|thumb|300px|Sotirios Sotiropoulos]]
[[File:Sotirios_Sotiropoulos.jpg|thumb|200px|Sotirios Sotiropoulos]]
'''Sotirios Sotiropoulos''' ({{lang-el|Σωτήριος Σωτηρόπουλος}}; [[Nafplio]], 1831 – [[Athens]], 1898) was a [[Greece|Greek]] economist and politician who briefly served as [[List of Prime Ministers of Greece|Prime Minister of Greece]].
He was born in 1831 in [[Nafplion]]. He studied law and was elected to the Constitutional Convention of 1863. In 1864, he was chosen as Minister of Economy for the first time. He continued to serve in that capacity after the elections of 1865, 1870, 1876, 1877 and 1880 during the [[Nationalist Party (Greece)|Nationalist Party]] ministries of [[Alexandros Koumoundouros]].


==Biography==
In 1893, Sotiropoulos was tapped by [[George I of Greece|King George I]] to form a government as Prime Minister, but it lost a vote of confidence a few months later. Later, Sotiropoulos was kidnapped by the brigand Lafazanis near [[Kalamata]]. After his release, Sotiropoulos wrote a book, ''My 31 day kidnapping''. He died in [[Athens, Greece|Athens]] in 1898.
Sotiropoulos was born in [[Nafplio]] in 1831. He went to [[Athens]] to study law at the [[University of Athens]], but was forced to interrupt his studies due to illness. Instead he turned to his other passion, Economics.<ref name="Proedroi">{{cite book | script-title=el:Πρόεδροι της Βουλής και των Εθνοσυνελεύσεων, 1821–2008 |trans-title=Presidents of Parliament and the National Assemblies, 1821–2008 |year = 2009 | isbn = 978-960-6757-16-7 | publisher = [http://foundation.parliament.gr/central.aspx?langId=1 Hellenic Parliament Foundation for Parliamentarism and Democracy] | language = Greek | url = http://www.hellenicparliament.gr/UserFiles/8c3e9046-78fb-48f4-bd82-bbba28ca1ef5/Proedroi.pdf | pages=252–255}}</ref> In 1853 he was accepted as a tax inspector in the Ministry of Finances, and served in this capacity in various provincial towns. His rise was quick: by 1856 he was department head and soon after general secretary of the Customs Department. From this position he reformed the Customs service and wrote a new set of regulations for it, and suggested other reforms such as the abolition of the [[tithe]]. For his services, [[Otto of Greece|King Otto]] awarded him the Silver Cross of the [[Order of the Redeemer]].<ref name="Proedroi"/>

Following the ousting of Otto in 1862, Sotiropoulos entered politics, and was elected as a representative for [[Triphylia]] in the [[Second National Assembly of the Greeks at Athens|II National Assembly]] of 1862–64. He served as Finance Minister in the 1864–65 [[Konstantinos Kanaris]] cabinet, and was then nominated for president of the [[Court of Audit (Greece)|Court of Audit]], but refused the post and instead focused on his parliamentary career: he was almost repeatedly re-elected from 1865 to 1895.<ref name="Proedroi"/> A supporter of [[Alexandros Koumoundouros]], after the latter's death in 1883, Sotiropoulos served as an independent, criticizing both [[Charilaos Trikoupis]] and [[Theodoros Deligiannis]], the two dominant and rival figures of Greek politics after Koumoundouros' death. In the [[1887 Greek legislative election|1887 elections]] he even led his own group of nine MPs.<ref name="Proedroi"/> During this time, he was elected twice [[Speaker of the Hellenic Parliament]], in 1878–79 and 1879–80, and served as Finance Minister in virtually all of Koumoundouros' cabinets (1865, 1870–71, 1875–76, 1880–82) as well as Justice Minister in 1880. His tenure in the Finance Ministry was marked by his personal integrity, a fight against corruption and mismanagement, and an effort to reduce spending and increase revenue.<ref name="Proedroi"/>

In May 1893, after the resignation of Trikoupis due to the country's impending [[Sovereign default|default]], Sotiropoulos was tapped by [[George I of Greece|King George I]] to form a government as Prime Minister in co-operation with [[Dimitrios Rallis]]. Sotiropoulos held the Finance Ministry as well in this cabinet, but it proved shot-lived as he was forced to resign a few months later.<ref name="Proedroi"/> Sotiropoulos died in Athens in 1898.<ref name="Proedroi"/>

==Writings==
In 1866, Sotiropoulos was kidnapped and held by brigands for 36 days before he was ransomed for 60,000 [[Modern drachma|drachma]]s. He recounted his time with the brigands in his [[memoir]] ''Τριάκοντα εξ ημερών αιχμαλωσία και διαβίωσις μετά των ληστών'' ("''Thirty-six days captivity and life with the brigands''"),<ref name="Proedroi"/> translated into English as ''The Brigands of the Morea: A Narrative of the Captivity of Mr. S. Soteropoulos'' (Saunders, Otley, and Company, 1868).

==References==
{{Reflist}}


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{{succession box|title=[[Prime Minister of Greece]]|before=[[Charilaos Trikoupis]]|after=[[Charilaos Trikoupis]]|years=May 15, 1893 - November, 1893}}
{{s-bef|before= [[Charilaos Trikoupis]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Prime Minister of Greece]]|years=3 May - 30 October 1893 (o.s.)}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Charilaos Trikoupis]]}}
{{s-bef|before= [[Nikolaos Papamichalopoulos]]}}
{{s-ttl|title= [[Speaker of the Hellenic Parliament]]|years=29 November 1879 – 10 October 1880}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Andreas Avgerinos]]}}
{{s-bef|before= [[Andreas Avgerinos]]}}
{{s-ttl|title= [[Speaker of the Hellenic Parliament]]|years=18 October 1878 – 6 July 1879}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Nikolaos Papamichalopoulos]]}}
{{end box}}
{{end box}}
{{Heads of government of Greece}}
{{Heads of government of Greece}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Sotiropoulos, Sotirios}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sotiropoulos, Sotirios}}
[[Category:1831 births]]
[[Category:1831 births]]
[[Category:1898 deaths]]
[[Category:1898 deaths]]
[[Category:Prime Ministers of Greece]]
[[Category:19th-century prime ministers of Greece]]
[[Category:19th-century Greek economists]]
[[Category:19th-century Greek writers]]
[[Category:19th-century memoirists]]
[[Category:Finance ministers of Greece]]
[[Category:Justice ministers of Greece]]
[[Category:People from Nafplion]]
[[Category:People from Nafplion]]
[[Category:Speakers of the Hellenic Parliament]]

[[Category:Greek MPs 1862–1864]]
[[de:Sotirios Sotiropoulos]]
[[Category:Greek MPs 1879–1881]]
[[el:Σωτήριος Σωτηρόπουλος]]
[[Category:National and Kapodistrian University of Athens alumni]]
[[es:Sotirios Sotiropoulos]]
[[Category:Kidnapped people]]
[[fr:Sotirios Sotiropoulos]]
[[pt:Sotírios Sotirópulos]]
[[yo:Sotirios Sotiropoulos]]

Latest revision as of 17:49, 25 February 2024

Sotirios Sotiropoulos

Sotirios Sotiropoulos (Greek: Σωτήριος Σωτηρόπουλος; Nafplio, 1831 – Athens, 1898) was a Greek economist and politician who briefly served as Prime Minister of Greece.

Biography

[edit]

Sotiropoulos was born in Nafplio in 1831. He went to Athens to study law at the University of Athens, but was forced to interrupt his studies due to illness. Instead he turned to his other passion, Economics.[1] In 1853 he was accepted as a tax inspector in the Ministry of Finances, and served in this capacity in various provincial towns. His rise was quick: by 1856 he was department head and soon after general secretary of the Customs Department. From this position he reformed the Customs service and wrote a new set of regulations for it, and suggested other reforms such as the abolition of the tithe. For his services, King Otto awarded him the Silver Cross of the Order of the Redeemer.[1]

Following the ousting of Otto in 1862, Sotiropoulos entered politics, and was elected as a representative for Triphylia in the II National Assembly of 1862–64. He served as Finance Minister in the 1864–65 Konstantinos Kanaris cabinet, and was then nominated for president of the Court of Audit, but refused the post and instead focused on his parliamentary career: he was almost repeatedly re-elected from 1865 to 1895.[1] A supporter of Alexandros Koumoundouros, after the latter's death in 1883, Sotiropoulos served as an independent, criticizing both Charilaos Trikoupis and Theodoros Deligiannis, the two dominant and rival figures of Greek politics after Koumoundouros' death. In the 1887 elections he even led his own group of nine MPs.[1] During this time, he was elected twice Speaker of the Hellenic Parliament, in 1878–79 and 1879–80, and served as Finance Minister in virtually all of Koumoundouros' cabinets (1865, 1870–71, 1875–76, 1880–82) as well as Justice Minister in 1880. His tenure in the Finance Ministry was marked by his personal integrity, a fight against corruption and mismanagement, and an effort to reduce spending and increase revenue.[1]

In May 1893, after the resignation of Trikoupis due to the country's impending default, Sotiropoulos was tapped by King George I to form a government as Prime Minister in co-operation with Dimitrios Rallis. Sotiropoulos held the Finance Ministry as well in this cabinet, but it proved shot-lived as he was forced to resign a few months later.[1] Sotiropoulos died in Athens in 1898.[1]

Writings

[edit]

In 1866, Sotiropoulos was kidnapped and held by brigands for 36 days before he was ransomed for 60,000 drachmas. He recounted his time with the brigands in his memoir Τριάκοντα εξ ημερών αιχμαλωσία και διαβίωσις μετά των ληστών ("Thirty-six days captivity and life with the brigands"),[1] translated into English as The Brigands of the Morea: A Narrative of the Captivity of Mr. S. Soteropoulos (Saunders, Otley, and Company, 1868).

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Πρόεδροι της Βουλής και των Εθνοσυνελεύσεων, 1821–2008 [Presidents of Parliament and the National Assemblies, 1821–2008] (PDF) (in Greek). Hellenic Parliament Foundation for Parliamentarism and Democracy. 2009. pp. 252–255. ISBN 978-960-6757-16-7. {{cite book}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
Political offices
Preceded by Prime Minister of Greece
3 May - 30 October 1893 (o.s.)
Succeeded by
Preceded by Speaker of the Hellenic Parliament
29 November 1879 – 10 October 1880
Succeeded by
Preceded by Speaker of the Hellenic Parliament
18 October 1878 – 6 July 1879
Succeeded by