Michael Tossizza, one of Greece’s national benefactors, died in Athens.
Michael Tossizza was born in Metsovo in 1787. In 1806, along with with his brothers, he took charge of his father’s fur processing firm in Thessaloniki. In 1820 he relocated to Egypt where he made a substantial fortune, thanks, among other factors, to the fact that he befriended the regent of Egypt, Mehmed Ali. Michael Tossizza was Greece’s first General Consul in Alexandria and he also contributed to the foundation of the Greek Community. In 1854 he moved permanently to Athens, where he died in 1856. In his will, he left significant amounts of money to help the poor and support health care and ecclesiastical and educational institutions, such as the University of Athens, the Arsakeio School and the Technical School.
