Consulate General of the United States, Thessaloniki

Last updated
Consulate General of the United States to Thessaloniki (Greece)
U.S. Department of State official seal.svg
Seal of the United States Department of State
Incumbent
Jerrier (Jerry) Ismail
since August 2023
Inaugural holderPericles Hadji Lazzaro
Formation1870
Website gr.usembassy.gov

The Consulate General of the United States in Thessaloniki is the focal point for events relating to the United States in northern Greece. The consulate is situated on the 7th floor of a new commercial office building at 43 Tsimiski Street in the city center. The consulate is headed by the Principal Officer and employs local hire individuals.

Contents

History

Before World War I

Though the exact details concerning the establishment of a consulate in Thessaloniki are sparse, it is a fact that a consular agency was initially established in Thessaloniki during the Ottoman era, as early as the 1830s, to represent American shipping interests in the northern Aegean Sea. A Thessalonian named Pericles Hadji Lazzaro later became the first honorary American consular agent in 1870. On June 10, 1908 the agency was upgraded to a Consulate status, at which time Evan E. Young was appointed as the first American Consul. Between 1910 and 1911, George Horton represented the US Consul at Salonika. During the period of time leading up to World War I, the consulate played a mostly commercial and representational role in Thessaloniki due to the lack of visa requirements for U.S. travel and due to the small number of Americans both living in and passing through the city. Dr. Henry House was one of the few prominent Americans living in Thessaloniki during this period. Dr. House established the American Farm School, which is still in operation today.

Impact of the World Wars

During the 1920s, due to new visa requirements and the restructuring of the city following the Great Thessaloniki Fire of 1917, the consulate was characterized by significant growth. Consul James H. Keeley, whose son Robert V. Keeley would later serve as Ambassador to Greece from 1985 to 1989, was appointed as principal officer of the consulate from 1936 until the outbreak of World War II in 1939.

The adult Jewish male population of Thessaloniki being rounded up at Platia Eleftherias by German soldiers Jewish Roundup2.jpg
The adult Jewish male population of Thessaloniki being rounded up at Platia Eleftherias by German soldiers

The Germans occupied Thessaloniki from April 1941 until October 1944 and closed the consulate on July 11, 1941. During this occupation, three of the consulate's Greek employees- David Tiano, Emmanuel Karasso, and John Vafiades – (the two former being of Jewish extraction) were all sent to an internment camp in Thessaloniki. Tiano was executed, while Karasso and Vafiades survived. Following the war, they resumed work at the consulate at its re-opening in 1944. The reception room in the consulate, otherwise known as the David Tiano room, is dedicated to his memory, and the consulate acknowledges his service and sacrifice with an annual David Tiano Lecture. [1] [2]

Post World War II years

In 1944, following the departure of the German forces, William M. Gwynn assumed the role as Consul and relocated the consulate to 59 Nikis Avenue, where it remained until its most recent move in 1999.

A donkey carrying U.S.-funded supplies in Greece as part of the Truman Doctrine MarshallDonkey.jpg
A donkey carrying U.S.-funded supplies in Greece as part of the Truman Doctrine

During the post World War II years the consulate transformed its role in Thessaloniki, reflecting the evolving relationship between America and Greece. The consulate supported the restoration efforts of the American Farm School and Anatolia College, both of which had been used as headquarters of the German forces. At this time, Greece was recovering from the devastation of the Second World War and, as the British were not in a position to help, the U.S. filled the void through both the Truman Doctrine and the closely related Marshall Plan, supporting Greece with roughly $300 million in military and economic aid. [3]

In 1952, the consulate was elevated to the rank of Consulate General and, over the next decade, a strong relationship developed between Thessalonians and the consulate. During the 1960s, the consulate began working with an increasing American business presence in the city which accompanied the Greek Economic Miracle. The consulate also engaged in sensitive border issues involving Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, and Albania.

The 1967 Greek military junta coup and the Cyprus Crisis damaged the American image across Greece. Thus, during the 1970s, the consulate began to focus more on improving public relations through an active outreach program to neighboring provincial cities in northern Greece. This decade was a hectic one for the consulate General as it dealt with several drug trafficking cases originating in the Middle East and Africa. The former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, John Dimitri Negroponte, served at the post from 1975 to 1977.

The U.S. Consulate General in Thessaloniki, 7th floor Office building.jpg
The U.S. Consulate General in Thessaloniki, 7th floor

1999 marked a final move to the consulate's present location in a suite on the seventh floor of 43 Tsimiski. At present, the United States has had an official presence in Thessaloniki for nearly 177 years. There have been 19 Consuls General and 16 Consuls.

Principal officers

NameDate
Consular Agent Pericles Hadji Lazzaro1870 - 1906
Consul Russel1906 - 1908
Consul Evan E. YoungNov. 1, 1908 - Jan. 29, 1910
Consul George HortonJan. 30, 1910 - Aug. 5, 1911
Consul John E. KehlDec. 12, 1911 - late 1915
Consul Leland B. Morris late 1915 - 1921
Consul Fernald1927
Consul Charles J. Pisar1927 - May 1932
Consul Paul BowermanJune 1932 - 1933 (8 months)
Consul Harry L. Troutman1933 - 1936
Consul Hanson1936 (a few months only)
Consul James H. Keeley1936 - Aug. 1939
Consul John D. Johnsonfall 1939 - July 11, 1941

Consulate closed by order of German Reich on July 11, 1941

Consul William M. GwynnDec. 14, 1944 - Jan. 30, 1947
Consul Raleigh A. GibsonJan. 31, 1947 - Oct. 5, 1949
Consul Glenn A. AbbeyFeb. 5, 1950 - Sept. 20, 1951
Consul General John B. HoltSept. 21, 1951 - Jul. 19, 1954

In 1952 the consulate was elevated to the rank of Consulate General

Consul General Murat W. Williams July 30, 1954 - June 1, 1955
Consul General Philip W. Ireland Sept. 13, 1955 - Oct. 21, 1958
Consul General Robert S. FolsomOct. 21, 1958 - Aug. 19, 1964
Consul General William L. HamiltonOct. 21, 1964 - March 5, 1970
Consul General A. David FritzlanMar. 15, 1970 - June 22, 1971
Consul General Edward T. BrennanJuly 29, 1971 - Oct. 31, 1975
Consul General John D. NegroponteOct. 28, 1975 - June 30, 1977
Consul General Dan A. ZacharyJuly 13, 1977 - Sept. 15, 1981
Consul General Michael D. SternbergSept. 3, 1981 - June 21, 1985
Consul General A. Donald BramanteAug. 22, 1985 - Aug. 15, 1989
Consul General Larry C. ThompsonAug. 11, 1989 - June 8, 1991
Consul General James E. BlanfordJuly 3, 1991 - May 4, 1994
Consul General Miriam K. Hughes July 17, 1994 - July 14, 1997
Consul General Paul D. StephensonJuly 22, 1997 - June 13, 2000
Consul General John M. Koenig June 27, 2000 - June 30, 2003
Consul General Alec L. MallyJuly 2003 - March 2004
Consul General Demitra M. PappasApril 2004 - June 2006
Consul General Hoyt B. YeeAugust 2006 - July 2009
Consul General Catherine E. KayAugust 2009 - June 2012
Consul Robert P. SandersSeptember 2012 - July 2015
Consul Rebecca A. FongAugust 2015 - July 2018
Consul Gregory W. Pfleger, Jr.August 2018 - July 2020
Consul Elizabeth K. LeeAugust 2020 -

Other noteworthy events and news

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References

  1. "First Annual Commemoration Event for David Tiano". thessaloniki.usconsulate.gov. Archived from the original on 27 May 2010. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  2. thessaloniki.usconsulate.gov http://thessaloniki.usconsulate.gov/tiano_2008.html . Retrieved 12 January 2022.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. "U.S. Consulate Documentary Commemorating 60 years of Marshall Plan". thessaloniki.usconsulate.gov. Archived from the original on 27 May 2010. Retrieved 12 January 2022.

40°38′01″N22°56′33″E / 40.63369°N 22.94246°E / 40.63369; 22.94246