17 Facts About Georgios Rallis

In 1849 his son George A Rallis became Chief Justice of the Greek Supreme Court.

Dimitrios Rallis, paternal grandfather of Georgios Rallis, served as Prime Minister of Greece for five separate short periods in 1897,1903,1905,1909 and 1921.

Georgios Rallis was born on 26 December 1918 in the prestigious Kolonaki district of Athens.

Georgios Rallis studied law and political sciences at the University of Athens.

Georgios Rallis was first elected to the Greek Parliament as a member of the People's Party in the 1950 general election, and was re-elected in all subsequent elections until the end of his political career in 1993, except the 1958 election and the June 1989 election, where he did not run.

Georgios Rallis was first appointed a cabinet minister on 11 April 1954 in the government of Alexander Papagos, as Minister for the Presidency of the Government.

Georgios Rallis was among the founding members of the National Radical Union in 1956.

Georgios Rallis was appointed to the post of Minister for Public Order in the caretaker cabinet of Panagiotis Kanellopoulos on 3 April 1967.

Georgios Rallis managed to evade capture by the putschists and go to the command centre of the Greek Gendarmerie, from where by radio he tried in vain to get in contact with the III Army Corps and order it to descend onto Athens and suppress the coup.

In 1974, following the fall of the dictatorship, Georgios Rallis became briefly Minister for the Interior and then again Minister to the Prime Minister in the national unity government under Karamanlis, and held on to the post under the government formed by Karamanlis' new party, New Democracy, after the November 1974 election.

Georgios Rallis was the first Greek Foreign Minister to visit the Soviet Union, in October 1978, and negotiated Greece's accession to the EEC, signing Greece's accession agreement in May 1979.

Georgios Rallis worked to restore relations with Bulgaria and Yugoslavia.

Georgios Rallis led the government until his defeat by Andreas Papandreou's PASOK in the 18 October 1981 election, resigning on 21 October.

Georgios Rallis did not participate in the June 1989 election, but after a personal invitation by the new New Democracy chairman, Konstantinos Mitsotakis, he rejoined the party and was elected an MP for Corfu.

Georgios Rallis died of heart failure at his home on 15 March 2006.

Georgios Rallis is survived by his wife, Lena Rallis and their two daughters, Zaira Papaligouras and Joanna Farmakidis.

Georgios Rallis spoke English, French, and German, and wrote 14 books.