Andreas Papandreou.

On 5 February 1919 in Chios, Greece, Andreas Papandreou was born to Sofia Mineyko and Georgios Papandreou, a prominent politician who later served as Prime Minister. He attended Athens College before studying at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. His academic path led him to the United States, where he earned a PhD in economics from Harvard University and later taught at the University of Minnesota. His father’s political career exposed him early to the workings of Greek governance.

Papandreou founded the Panhellenic Socialist Movement PASOK in 1974, after the fall of the Greek junta. His party won the 1981 parliamentary election, marking the first socialist government in Greece. He was Prime Minister from 1981 to 1989 and again from 1993 to 1996. His government established the National Health System and the Supreme Council for Personnel Selection ASEP, passed Law 1264/1982 securing workers’ rights, and amended the constitution in 1985–1986 to strengthen parliamentarism. He pursued an independent foreign policy and expanded local government powers.

Papandreou married twice: first to Margarita Papandreou, an American-born activist, and later to Dimitra Liani Papandreou, a former flight attendant. He had four children: Giorgos Papandreou, who also became Prime Minister of Greece; Níkos Papandréou; Sofia Papandreou; and Emilia Nyblom. His half-brother, Georgios G. Papandreou, was also involved in politics.

Andreas Papandreou reshaped modern Greek politics as the founder of PASOK, a party that dominated the country’s political scene for decades. His 1981 electoral victory broke the traditional two-party system and introduced widespread social welfare reforms. The National Health System and labor protections he championed endure as pillars of Greek society. His constitutional amendments reduced presidential powers and reinforced parliamentary democracy. He is remembered as a transformative leader who mobilized the working class and redefined Greece’s left-of-center politics.