Mavrokordatos, Alexander

Mavrokordatos or Mavrocordatos, Alexander (both: mäv'rôkôr-thä'tôs), 1791–1865, Greek patriot and statesman. He took an active part in the Greek revolt (1821) against Turkey and wrote the Greek declaration of independence. He was (1822) president of the first national assembly and commander of the army of E Greece. Mavrokordatos was appointed (1832) minister of finance by King Otto I, held numerous ambassadorial posts, and served several times as premier (1833–34, 1841, 1843–44, and 1854–55). Associated with the pro-English party, he always fell short of his potential and was never able to put into effect the political and economic modernization that he advocated.