Konstantinos G. Karamanlis was born on 8 March 1907 in Proti, near Serres, Macedonia, then part of the Ottoman Empire. He became a Greek citizen in 1913 after Macedonia was annexed by Greece. His father, Georgios Karamanlis, was a teacher and a participant in the Greek Struggle for Macedonia. After completing his law degree in Athens, Karamanlis practiced law in Serres and entered politics as a member of the conservative People's Party, winning a seat in the Hellenic Parliament in 1936. His political career was interrupted by health issues during the Greco-Italian War and the Axis occupation of Greece, during which he joined the Greek government in exile in the Middle East in 1944.After World War II, Karamanlis quickly advanced in Greek politics. He served as Minister of Labour in 1947 and as Minister for Public Works in 1951 under Prime Minister Alexandros Papagos. Following Papagos's death in 1955, King Paul appointed Karamanlis as Prime Minister. His first term focused on rapid industrialization, infrastructure investment, and agricultural improvements, contributing to Greece's post-war economic growth. He also extended full voting rights to women and shifted foreign policy to support Greek membership in the European Economic Community (EEC), moving away from the goal of enosis, or unification with Cyprus.In 1963, amid political turmoil and a disagreement with King Paul, Karamanlis resigned and spent eleven years in self-imposed exile in Paris. During this time, Greece fell under military dictatorship following a coup in 1967. After the junta's collapse in 1974, Karamanlis returned to Greece to lead the transition to democracy, known as the Metapolitefsi. He formed the New Democracy party, which won a significant victory in the November 1974 elections, leading to the establishment of the Third Hellenic Republic and the abolition of the monarchy.Karamanlis served as Prime Minister until 1980, during which he oversaw Greece's formal entry into the EEC in 1981. He was elected President of the Republic in 1980, serving until 1985, and was re-elected in 1990, remaining in office until 1995. Throughout his political career, he was recognized for his contributions to Greece's economic development and European integration. He passed away on 23 April 1998 at the age of 91, having spent over sixty years in active politics.

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Konstantinos Karamanlis