Onassis, Aristotle (Socrates)

(born Jan. 20, 1906, Smyrna, Tur.—died March 15, 1975, Neuilly-sur-Seine, near Paris, France) Greek shipping magnate and international businessman. The son of a tobacco dealer, he started a tobacco-importing business in Buenos Aires, Arg. He was made consul general after negotiating a trade agreement for the Greek government. A millionaire by age 25, he bought his first freight ships in 1932. In the 1940s and '50s his fleet grew until it was larger than the navies of many countries. He acquired business interests in Monte Carlo, and from 1957 to 1974 he owned and operated Olympic Airways, the Greek national airline. He conducted a long affair with Maria Callas, and in 1968 married Jacqueline Kennedy (see Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis).

Find more information on Onassis, Aristotle (Socrates). Upgrade to Britannica Online for more on Onassis, Aristotle (Socrates).