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Glafcos Clerides
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Glafcos Clerides
Glafcos Ioannou Clerides (Greek: Γλαύκος Ιωάννου Κληρίδης; 24 April 1919 – 15 November 2013) was a Cypriot statesman, who served as President of Cyprus in 1974 and from 1993 to 2003.
A barrister and former Royal Air Force pilot, Clerides played an important role in the Cypriot struggle for independence, first as a member of the anti-colonial guerrilla organization EOKA and later in the drafting of the country's constitution. He then served as the first Speaker of the House of Representatives from 1960 to 1976, and briefly took over the presidency of Cyprus on an interim basis following the failure of the 1974 coup, overseeing the island's defence amidst the Turkish invasion. Clerides founded the center-right Democratic Rally in 1976 and won the presidential election as its candidate in 1993, before securing a second term in 1998. He failed to win a third term in 2003. As President, Clerides presided over a period of significant economic growth and was instrumental in Cyprus' accession to the European Union. Widely respected for his political and legal acumen, he remained an influential figure in Cypriot politics until his death in 2013.
Clerides was born in Nicosia. He was the eldest son of the lawyer John Clerides and Elli Argyridou. He had one sister, Chrysanthi, and one brother, Xanthos. Clerides married Lila Erulkar (31 October 1921 – 6 June 2007), the Indian Jewish daughter of Abraham Erulkar, personal physician to Mahatma Gandhi, in London in 1947. They had one daughter, Katherine (born 1949 in London), who went on to serve as a member of the House of the Representatives for the Democratic Rally. He died on 15 November 2013 in Nicosia.
During World War II, Clerides served in the British Royal Air Force. In 1942 his airplane was shot down over Germany and he was captured. He remained a prisoner of war until the end of the conflict. His name was mentioned in dispatches for distinguished services.
Following the war, he studied law at King's College London and earned an LLB degree in 1948. He was called to the bar through Gray's Inn in 1949, and went on to practice law in Cyprus.
During the 1955-59 Cypriot War of Independence, he served in EOKA under the pseudonym 'Hyperides' and defended many of the organization's fighters who had been arrested by the British authorities. One of his most important accomplishments during that time was the composition of a dossier that enumerated and provided evidence on cases of human rights violations by the British, which the Greek government presented to the Council of Europe's Human Rights Committee.
Clerides participated in the 1959 London Conference on Cyprus and during the transitional period from colonial administration to independence (1959–1960), he served as Minister of Justice. During the same period he was head of the Greek Cypriot delegation in the Joint Constitutional Committee.
In July 1960, he was elected to the House of Representatives which, in turn, elected him as its first speaker. He held this position until 22 July 1976. In the first presidential election Clerides backed Makarios III, the other candidate being his father Ioannis Clerides.
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Glafcos Clerides
Glafcos Ioannou Clerides (Greek: Γλαύκος Ιωάννου Κληρίδης; 24 April 1919 – 15 November 2013) was a Cypriot statesman, who served as President of Cyprus in 1974 and from 1993 to 2003.
A barrister and former Royal Air Force pilot, Clerides played an important role in the Cypriot struggle for independence, first as a member of the anti-colonial guerrilla organization EOKA and later in the drafting of the country's constitution. He then served as the first Speaker of the House of Representatives from 1960 to 1976, and briefly took over the presidency of Cyprus on an interim basis following the failure of the 1974 coup, overseeing the island's defence amidst the Turkish invasion. Clerides founded the center-right Democratic Rally in 1976 and won the presidential election as its candidate in 1993, before securing a second term in 1998. He failed to win a third term in 2003. As President, Clerides presided over a period of significant economic growth and was instrumental in Cyprus' accession to the European Union. Widely respected for his political and legal acumen, he remained an influential figure in Cypriot politics until his death in 2013.
Clerides was born in Nicosia. He was the eldest son of the lawyer John Clerides and Elli Argyridou. He had one sister, Chrysanthi, and one brother, Xanthos. Clerides married Lila Erulkar (31 October 1921 – 6 June 2007), the Indian Jewish daughter of Abraham Erulkar, personal physician to Mahatma Gandhi, in London in 1947. They had one daughter, Katherine (born 1949 in London), who went on to serve as a member of the House of the Representatives for the Democratic Rally. He died on 15 November 2013 in Nicosia.
During World War II, Clerides served in the British Royal Air Force. In 1942 his airplane was shot down over Germany and he was captured. He remained a prisoner of war until the end of the conflict. His name was mentioned in dispatches for distinguished services.
Following the war, he studied law at King's College London and earned an LLB degree in 1948. He was called to the bar through Gray's Inn in 1949, and went on to practice law in Cyprus.
During the 1955-59 Cypriot War of Independence, he served in EOKA under the pseudonym 'Hyperides' and defended many of the organization's fighters who had been arrested by the British authorities. One of his most important accomplishments during that time was the composition of a dossier that enumerated and provided evidence on cases of human rights violations by the British, which the Greek government presented to the Council of Europe's Human Rights Committee.
Clerides participated in the 1959 London Conference on Cyprus and during the transitional period from colonial administration to independence (1959–1960), he served as Minister of Justice. During the same period he was head of the Greek Cypriot delegation in the Joint Constitutional Committee.
In July 1960, he was elected to the House of Representatives which, in turn, elected him as its first speaker. He held this position until 22 July 1976. In the first presidential election Clerides backed Makarios III, the other candidate being his father Ioannis Clerides.
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