Alexandros Diomidis

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Alexandros Diomidis

Prime Minister
In office
June 28, 1949 – January 6, 1950
Preceded by Themistoklis Sophoulis
Succeeded by Ioannis Theotokis

Born January 3, 1875 (1875-01-03)
Athens, Greece
Died November 11, 1950 (aged 75)
Athens, Greece
Political party Liberal Party
Occupation Economist
Religion Greek Orthodox

Alexandros Diomedes (Greek: Αλέξανδρος Διομήδης) (January 3, 1875November 11, 1950) was a former governor of the Central Bank of Greece who became Prime Minister of Greece upon the death of Themistoklis Sophoulis.

Diomedes was born in Athens, Greece on January 3, 1875, the grandson of former Prime Minister Diomidis Kiriakos. He studied law and economics in Weimar[citation needed] and Paris and earned a doctorate from the University of Berlin. In 1905, he became a professor at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.

He was a member of the Athens Academy.

Diomedes was appointed prefect ("nomarch") of Attica-Boeotia in 1909. In 1910, he was elected to the Hellenic Parliament under the banner of the Liberal Party. From 1912 to 1915 and again in 1922 he served as Minister for Finance.

Diomedes became Governor of the National Bank of Greece in 1923 and Governor of the Bank of Greece in 1928.

He became Prime Minister upon the death of Sophoulis. It was during his term in office (June 28, 1949January 6, 1950) that the Greek Civil War was concluded.

Diomedes was forced to resign amid a scandal involving his Minister for Transport, Hadjipanos. He died later in that same year (November 11, 1950).

Besides being an economist and politician, Diomedes also authored several literary works, including a two-volume work on Byzantine Empire studies.

Along with his wife Julia, Dimides left part of his fortune to the Greek state for the purposes of establishing a botanic garden in Athens, opened in 1952 as the "Julia and Alexander N. Diomides Botanic Garden".

Preceded by
Themistoklis Sophoulis
Prime Minister of Greece
June 28, 1949 - January 6, 1950
Succeeded by
Ioannis Theotokis