John Latsis: Greek Shipping and Oil Billionaire Dies at 92

John Latsis was a Greek shipping, oil and banking magnate, one of the richest men in the world. Born on September 14, 1910, in Katakolo, a fishing village in Greece, he began as a deckhand and rose to ship's captain.

He bought his first cargo ship in 1938 and built a large fleet. In 1975 he founded the oil company Petrola, built refineries in Greece and Saudi Arabia and moved into banking in the 1980s. Forbes ranked him among the world's richest people with about 6.4 billion dollars in 2003.

Latsis hosted the 1990 G7 summit at Bridgewater House in London and twice lent his yacht Alexandros to Prince Charles, once for his 1991 honeymoon cruise. He married Erietta Tsoukala and had three children. He died on April 17, 2003, at age 92.

Achievements: Founded Petrola (1975), built a global shipping fleet, Forbes billionaire.

Birth: September 14, 1910 - Katakolo, Greece.

Profession: Shipping and oil magnate.

Interesting Facts: His family business grew into the Latsis Group, which includes EFG International.