Alexandros Koryzis

Prime Minister of Greece

1885 Poros, Greece

April 18, 1941(1941-04-18) (55–56) Athens, Greece

January 29, 1941 – April 18, 1941

Greek politician Alexandros Koryzis (Greek: Αλέξανδρος Κορυζής , 1885 – April 18, 1941) was the Prime Minister of Greece briefly in 1941. Koryzis assumed this role on January 29, 1941, when his predecessor, the dictator Ioannis Metaxas died of throat cancer, during the Greco-Italian War. Prior to this, Koryzis had been governor of the Bank of Greece. Prime Minister Metaxas had declined British offers of direct military assistance on the grounds that this could be used as a justification for German intervention in support of their Italian allies. Koryzis however agreed to the dispatch of "W Force" - a British and Dominion force of two infantry divisions and an armoured brigade. Although largely powerless, as the government was effectively controlled by King George II, Koryzis still bore the burden of the German invasion which commenced on April 6 of the same year. Less than two weeks later, on April 18, as German troops marched towards Athens and the city was placed under martial law, he committed suicide by shooting himself. The cause of his death was initially reported to be a heart attack, probably to avoid causing mass panic in Athens. He was originally from the small island of Poros in Greece, where a museum dedicated to his life and contribution exists today.