Alexander Onassis

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Alexander S. Onassis
Born April 30, 1948(1948-04-30)
New York
Died January 23, 1973 (aged 24)
Athens
Relatives Aristotle Onassis and
Athina Livanos

Alexander S. Onassis (born April 30, 1948 – died January 23, 1973) was the only son of Aristotle Onassis and Athina Livanos (alternate spelling: Livanou), also known as Tina. He had one sibling, Christina Onassis, the mother of Athina.

Contents

[edit] His life

[edit] Early Life

Alexander was born in Harkness Pavillon, a clinic in New York city. He had the same name as Onassis's uncle, who was murdered in Turkey when his city Izmir was re-captured from Greece right after World War I

Alexander neither went to school nor had friends of his own age, and despite not having any academics gifts, he was very knowledgeable about automobiles and motors, which impressed Gianni Agnelli from Fiat. His closest friends were his house employees like Christian Cafarakis.

Alexander and Christina were extremely close. Their bond exceeded the normal ties of a brother and sister. They were bonded further by the shared traumas caused by a workaholic, obsessive, sometimes abusive father.[1] Furthermore, it has been written that Tina had difficult relationships with her children, especially with Christina, from whom she expected particular perfection.[2] Nonetheless, Alexander and Christina were loyal and loving to their parents but seem never to have accepted or liked their stepmother, Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy.[3]

Despite having an intense dislike for Jacqueline, they did warm up to her children, Caroline and John. One of John's fondest memories was riding in Alexander's Piaggio plane.[4]

[edit] Later years

Alexander famously dated Fiona (née Campbell Walter) Thyssen, a young woman whom his father strongly disapproved of [5]. It is believed now that Alexander had intentions of marrying her despite his father's energetic attempts to break them up. Fiona was divorced from Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza since 1965. She was a New Zealand-born fashion model. She was forty years old and Alexander was 24 during their relationship.

[edit] His death

He died in a plane crash at Ellinikon International Airport in an incident that has fueled many conspiracy theories. He was 24 years old. He was buried on his father's private paradise, the Greek Ionian island of Skorpios. Approximately two years later, Aristotle died too, and was buried beside Alexander. Many people have said or written that Alexander's death was the end for Aristotle, in terms of his desire to go on living, that he died in all but fact along with Alexander. He also expressed a desire to divorce Jacqueline Kennedy and marry a woman young enough to bear him another son.

[edit] Legacy

The Alexander S. Onassis Foundation, on the "public benefit" side, awards study-abroad scholarships to Greek students and funds a number of philanthropic projects. On the "business" side, the Foundation runs a multibillion-dollar empire, with a small shipping fleet and many real estate and securities assets.[6] Obviously named for Aristotle's beloved only son, Aristotle created it as a charitable foundation, based in Vaduz, Liechtenstein, in 1973. The main offices are in Athens, Greece.

The Foundation's assets are often confused in the media as belonging to Athina Roussel Onassis. The truth is that Athina neither owns nor represents the Onassis Foundation in any capacity. However, the terms of Aristotle Onassis' will were that an Onassis should be president. It was once speculated that she would become President of the Foundation on her 21st birthday. Yet the Foundation's Board of Directors passed a new Charter that says the President must be at minimum, aged 30, fluent in the Greek language, and elected unanimously by the Board of Directors. Athina has gone to court to preserve her right to act as president of the Foundation, and has also attempted to reach out to the Directors by hiring a Greek tutor and attempting to learn Greek, which her father prevented her from being exposed to in the past. [7]

[edit] Works Cited

  1. ^ Hutchins, Chris; Peter Thompson (September 1999). Athina:The Last Onassis, New Edition (in English), Blake Publishers, 367 pages. ISBN 978-1857823813.  and Speiser, Stuart (1). The Deadly Sins of Aristotle Onassis Story (Hardcover), First Edition (in English), ACW Press, 370 pages. ISBN 978-1932124620. 
  2. ^ Hutchins, Chris; Peter Thompson (September 1999). Athina:The Last Onassis, New Edition (in English), Blake Publishers, 367 pages. ISBN 978-1857823813. 
  3. ^ Hutchins, Chris; Peter Thompson (September 1999). Athina:The Last Onassis, New Edition (in English), Blake Publishers, 367 pages. ISBN 978-1857823813.  and Leigh, Wendy (March 2000). Prince Charming:The John F. Kennedy, Jr. Story (Paperback), First Edition (in English), New York: New American Library, 370 pages. ISBN 0451200802. 
  4. ^ See citation for Leigh
  5. ^ (Hutchins, Speiser)
  6. ^ Onassis Foundation (official website)
  7. ^ Lowry, Nigel (29 July 2005) "Onassis Story Goes Back to the Future." Lloyd's List. Issue #58965. Insight & Opinion, p. 5