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Alexander S. Onassis (Greek: Αλέξανδρος Ωνάσης; April 30, 1948 – January 23, 1973) was the only son of Aristotle Onassis and Athina Livanos (alternate spelling: Livanou), also known as Tina. He had one sibling, Christina Onassis, the mother of Athina Onassis Roussel.
Early life
Alexander Onassis was born in Harkness Pavilion, a clinic in New York City. He had the same name as his father's uncle, who was murdered during World War I.
Onassis had no formal schooling nor did he have friends of his own age, and despite not being gifted academically, he was very knowledgeable about automobiles and motors, which impressed Gianni Agnelli from Fiat. Onassis also fostered vocational ambitions of becoming a pilot, but extremely poor eyesight prevented this from materializing.
His closest friends were his house employees like Christian Cafarakis.
Onassis and his sister Christina were extremely close. Their bond exceeded the normal ties of a brother and sister. They were bonded further by the shared traumas caused by a workaholic, obsessive, sometimes abusive father.[1] Furthermore, it has been written that Tina had difficult relationships with her children, especially with Christina, from whom she expected particular perfection.[2] Nonetheless, Alexander and Christina were loyal and loving to their parents but seem never to have accepted or liked their stepmother, Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy.[3]
Despite having an intense dislike for Jacqueline, they did warm up to her children, Caroline and John . One of John's fondest memories was riding in Alexander's Piaggio plane.[4]
Later years and death
Onassis famously dated Fiona (née Campbell Walter) Thyssen, a woman 16 years his senior and of whom his father strongly disapproved.[5] It is believed now that Onassis had intentions of marrying her despite his father's energetic attempts to break them up. Fiona was divorced from Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza since 1965. She was a Scottish-born fashion model. During their relationship, she was 40 years old and Onassis was 24.
According to British author Peter Evans he also had an affair in the south of France with Odile Rodin who was the widow of playboy Porfirio Rubirosa. (She was 11 years his senior in age).
Onassis died in a plane crash at Ellinikon International Airport in an incident that has fueled many conspiracy theories. He was 24 years old. He was buried next to the chapel on his father's private paradise, the Greek Ionian island of Skorpios. Approximately two years later, his father died too, and was buried beside Onassis. Many people have said or written that Onassis' death was the end for his father, in terms of his desire to go on living, that he died in all but fact along with Alexander . He also expressed a desire to divorce Jacqueline Kennedy ( he reportedly instructed his New York lawyer Roy Cohn to take the required steps in this regard) and marry a woman young enough to bear him another son .
Legacy
The Alexander S. Onassis Foundation, on the "public benefit" side, awards study-abroad scholarships to Greek students and funds a number of philanthropic projects. On the "business" side, the Foundation runs a multibillion-dollar empire, with a small shipping fleet and many real estate and securities assets.[6] Obviously named for Aristotle's beloved only son, Aristotle created it as a charitable foundation, based in Vaduz, Liechtenstein, in 1973. The main offices are in Athens, Greece.
The Foundation's assets are often confused in the media as belonging to Athina Roussel Onassis. The truth is that Athina neither owns nor represents the Onassis Foundation in any capacity. On her 18th birthday, she inherited only her mother Christina's personal assets. However, according to the terms of her grandfather's will, an Onassis should be president of the Foundation. It was once speculated that she would become President of the Foundation on her 21st birthday. Yet the Foundation's Board of Directors passed a new Charter that says the President must be at minimum, aged 30, fluent in the Greek language, and elected unanimously by the Board of Directors. Athina has gone to court to preserve her right to act as president of the Foundation, and has also attempted to reach out to the Directors by hiring a Greek tutor and improving her fluency in the Greek language.[7]
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