Spyridon Mercouris (; 1856–1939) was a
Greek politician and long-serving
mayor of Athens
The mayor of Athens is the head of Athens#municipality of Athens, Athens. The current mayor is Haris Doukas who assumed office on 1 January 2024.
Kingdom of Greece (1832–1924)
Second Hellenic Republic (1924–1935)
Kingdom of Greece (1935 ...
in the early 20th century.
He was born in
Ermioni,
Argolida, in 1856 to a prominent and wealthy family that had taken part in the
Greek War of Independence
The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution or the Greek Revolution of 1821, was a successful war of independence by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire between 1821 and 1829. In 1826, the Greeks were assisted ...
in the 1820s. He was the son of Georgios Mercouris, captain and son of Spyridon Mercouris, and Theodora (or Theodota) Mitsas, daughter of the chieftain of the Greek revolution and later MP of Ermionida and authorized representative in national assemblies Stamatis Mitsas, and sister of the military and also MP of Ermionida Antonios Mitsas. Through the Mitsa family, he was a close by marriage relative of the historical Zakynthian family of the Motsenigos.
The Mercouri were an
Arvanite family, originating in
Argolida.
Elected as mayor of
Athens
Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...
in 1899, he held the post continuously until 1914. As a committed conservative royalist, in summer 1917, during the
National Schism, he was exiled to
Corsica
Corsica ( , , ; ; ) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the Regions of France, 18 regions of France. It is the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of the Metro ...
by the
Venizelists. He was also accused of complicity in the riots of the ''
Noemvriana'' of 1916, he was tried and sentenced to death in 1919. He was released from prison in 1920 after the win of the antivenizelists. He was elected as a Member of Parliament representing
Atticoboeotia in 1928 and re-elected as Mayor of Athens in 1929.
He served as mayor until 1932, and died in 1939. His sons
Stamatis and
George served as members of the Greek Parliament (MP) and cabinet ministers, whilst his granddaughter
Melina Mercouri was an award-winning actress who later was elected an MP and served as the Greek
Minister of Culture and Science.
References
1856 births
1939 deaths
People from Ermionida
Greek MPs 1928–1932
Mayors of Athens
Date of birth missing
Date of death missing
Place of birth missing
Place of death missing
Greek exiles
Greek prisoners sentenced to death
Prisoners sentenced to death by Greece
Arvanites
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