Alexandros Onassis

Alexander Socrates Onassis was born on April 30, 1948, at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City. He was the son of Aristotle Onassis, a Greek shipping magnate, and his first wife, Athina Livanos, who was the daughter of Greek shipping magnate Stavros G. Livanos. Alexander was the elder child in the family, with his sister Christina Onassis born in 1950. He was named after his father's uncle, who was executed by a Turkish military tribunal during the burning of Smyrna in September 1922.

Alexander Onassis received no formal schooling but was provided with a personal tutor and his own apartment from a young age. At age 16, he failed his exams at a Paris lycée and began working for his father at the Monaco headquarters in 1965. During this period, he earned a salary of $12,000 annually. He did not exhibit enthusiasm for his work, and reports indicated that he appeared in no great hurry to prove himself an Onassis. He described himself as feeling "intimidated by the old man's wealth."

In 1967, Alexander began flying lessons and accumulated approximately 1,500 flight hours by the time of his death. He held a professional pilot's license and was appointed president of Olympic Aviation, a regional Greek airline owned by his father, in 1971. Despite his involvement in aviation, his father’s poor eyesight prevented him from obtaining an air transport certificate; he could only possess a commercial pilot license for flying light aircraft.

His family life was marked by tensions, particularly after Aristotle Onassis married Jacqueline Kennedy in October 1968, the widow of U.S. President John F. Kennedy. Alexander and his sister Christina were upset by this marriage, having hopes that their father might remarry their mother, Athina Livanos. Alexander expressed a view that his father was attracted to the status associated with Jacqueline Kennedy and her wealth. Although he disliked Jacqueline Kennedy, Alexander maintained a friendly relationship with her children, Caroline and John, allowing them occasional access to his aircraft.

Alexander Onassis's personal relationships included a secret affair with Fiona von Thyssen (née Campbell-Walter), a British model and former wife of industrialist Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza. Their relationship was longstanding and met with disapproval from his family, especially his mother. His father attempted to interfere by purchasing a villa outside Athens for Alexander, which Thyssen perceives as an attempt to control her.

Onassis's interest in aviation led him to take his first flying lesson in 1967. He achieved a commercial pilot license and became the president of Olympic Aviation in 1971. He was involved in instructing pilots and practicing amphibious landings. Alexander Onassis died on January 23, 1973, at the age of 24, due to injuries from a crash of his Piaggio P.136L-2 amphibious airplane at Hellinikon International Airport in Athens. The aircraft accident occurred while he was instructing a potential pilot, Donald McCusker. The crash happened shortly after takeoff, when the plane's right wing dropped, leading to a loss of control.

Following the crash, Alexander was hospitalized, and medical specialists confirmed that his injuries were fatal. The crash was attributed to possible control cable reversal or wake turbulence from a preceding aircraft. Investigation reports and subsequent legal proceedings considered various theories, including mechanical failure and pilot error. The Greek Air Force and independent investigators performed inquiries, with some disputes over the cause.

Alexander Onassis was buried on his father's private island of Skorpios, next to a chapel. In the aftermath of his death, there were investigations and legal actions against those involved in the crash, which were later dismissed. Aristotle Onassis considered having his son cryogenically frozen but ultimately decided to have him embalmed.

The Alexander S. Onassis Foundation was established in memory of Alexander, as per his father's will. The foundation, headquartered in Athens and based in Vaduz, Liechtenstein, received 45% of Aristotle Onassis’s estate. It comprises a business foundation managing various enterprises, including shipping, and a public benefit foundation supporting Greek cultural initiatives.

Alexander Socrates Onassis's death prompted ongoing commitments to philanthropy and Greek cultural promotion through the foundation established in his name.