George Argyros


George Leon Argyros is a former United States Ambassador to Spain. He is also a real estate investor, and was the owner of Major League Baseball's Seattle Mariners from 1981 to 1989.

Early and personal life

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 Chapman University's board of trustees, including chairman of the board from 1976 to 2001. The Chapman University, Argyros School of Business and Economics is named in his honor.
He and his wife, Julia, have three grown children and seven grandchildren.

Business

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.
Argyros has done business through the real estate company Arnel & Affiliates. Arnel & Affiliates does business primarily in Southern California. Argyros has a net worth around $2 billion.

Politics

Argyros served as a member of the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations for the U.S. Trade Ambassador. He resigned from that position in 1990, when President Bush appointed him to the board of the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation. He completed his term on the FreddieMac Board in March 1993.
In 2001 Argyros was appointed Ambassador to Spain and Andorra. He was sworn in on November 21, 2001. Many viewed the appointment as a political reward for his fund raising efforts for the Republican Party.

Baseball

In 1981, Argyros bought the Seattle Mariners. Argyros sold the team to Jeff Smulyan in 1989. Argyros had openly tried to purchase the San Diego Padres in 1987 and to sell the Mariners to local buyers, but a final deal was never consummated with Padres owner Joan Kroc.

Philanthropy

In October 2013, George and Julia Argyros announced two $1 million donations benefiting the arts in Julia's hometown of Adrian, Michigan. One was to help kick off a $3.5 million capital campaign for the Croswell Opera House and another was to benefit a fine arts education endowment through the Adrian Schools Educational Foundation.
Argyros is on the Board of Directors of the Richard Nixon Foundation, which operates the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda, California; he is also a longtime trustee of his alma mater Chapman University. He is a trustee of California Institute of Technology, and also a board-member for the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C.