Andreas Michalakopoulos (1875-1938)

Andreas Michalakopoulos (1875-1938) was a prominent figure in the political scene of Greece during the early decades of the 20th century. Born in Patras, he distinguished himself from a young age due to his intelligence and academic achievements. After resigning from the Military Academy of Evelpidon for family reasons, he continued his studies in law in Greece, France, and Germany. He joined the Liberal Party and, in 1911, was elected as a Member of Parliament for Achaia, marking the beginning of a distinguished political career. He served as a minister several times and played an active role in the 1916 Movement in support of Eleftherios Venizelos. In 1924, he took the leadership of the conservative wing of the Liberals and formed a government with the party of Georgios Kondylis, which was overthrown in 1925 by the dictatorship of Theodoros Pangalos. He returned to the government in 1926 as Minister of Foreign Affairs and again in 1929 under Venizelos, participating in the negotiations for the Treaty of Lausanne and signing the Peace and Friendship Treaty with Turkey in 1930. He remained a close associate of Venizelos until he was exiled by Ioannis Metaxas to Paros in 1936. Michalakopoulos was known for his outstanding public speaking skills and was considered a politician with rare gifts. He was also a passionate bibliophile with a library of 30,000 volumes. He passed away in Athens in 1938, leaving behind a significant impact on the political life of the country. Pictured: letter from the Board of Directors of the Iraklis Gymnastic Club of Thessaloniki, dated April 8, 1917, addressed to the Minister of Property of National Defense, Andreas Michalakopoulos. ©Iraklis New Gymnastics Club of Thessaloniki 1908.