George Leon Argyros (born 1937 in Detroit, Michigan) is the former United States Ambassador to Spain. He is also a successful real estate investor, and was the owner of Major League Baseball's Seattle Mariners from 1980 to 1989.
Contents |
George Argyros was born in Detroit, Michigan and raised in Pasadena, California. Argyros is a second-generation American citizen; his grandparents emigrated from Greece. Argyros graduated from Chapman University in 1959 with a major in Business and Economics. He later served on the board of trustees of that university, including chairman of the board from 1976 to 2001. He is a member of the board of trustees of California Institute of Technology, and The Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC.
He and his wife of 40 years, Julia, have three grown children and six grandchildren.[1]
Argyros made his fortune in real estate investments. He originally started his business career running a grocery store and moved on to buying and selling real estate to gas stations. He also was involved in buying and selling property in southern California. From 1981 to 1989 he was the owner of the Seattle Mariners baseball team. He has been on the board of directors of many corporations.
Argyros recently has done business through the real estate company Arnel & Affiliates (DBA "Arnel Property Management Company"), which manages apartments and invests in commercial property. Arnel & Affiliates does business primarily in southern California. Through his business practices Argyros has achieved a net worth around $1 billion.[2]
Argyros served as a member of the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations for the U.S. Trade Ambassador, resigning that position in 1990, when President Bush appointed him to the board of the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (FreddieMac). He completed his term on the FreddieMac Board in March 1993.[1]
In 2001 Argyros was appointed Ambassador to Spain and Andorra. He was sworn in on November 21, 2001.[1] Many viewed the appointment as a political reward for his fundraising efforts for the Republican Party.[3]
In 1981, Argyros bought the Seattle Mariners. The team had struggled from inceptioon in 1977 as an expansion team. Upon Argyros' acquisition, the team finally had the resources to expand it's development and farm system to become successful. He ran the team on a shoestring budget, with a payroll among the lowest in baseball. Despite his considerable wealth, he refused to spend money on players or a farm system. He made noises about moving the team elsewhere, and used that threat to get a more favorable lease at the Kingdome. Argyros sold the team to Jeff Smulyan in 1989.[4]
Wikis
Quiz
Map
Search<ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named latamb; see Help:Cite error.| Diplomatic posts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Edward L. Romero |
U.S. Ambassador to Spain 2001–2004 Also accredited to Andorra. |
Succeeded by Eduardo Aguirre |
|
|||||
   | Forbes.com: Forbes World's Richest People - Forbes.com: Forbes World's Richest People 2004 |
| | Former Ambassador George L. Argyros - U.S. Mission in Spain - Ambassador Argyros Bio |
|
|
