George Argyros

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George L. Argyros

George Leon Argyros (born 1937 in Detroit, Michigan) is the former United States Ambassador to Spain for the United States of America. He is also a successful businessman.

George Argyros was raised in Pasadena, California. Argyros is a 2nd generation American citizen, his grandparents emigrated from Greece.

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 apartments. From 1981 to 1989 he was the owner of the Seattle Mariners baseball team.

Argyros recently has done business through Arnel & Affiliates, which is a real estate company that manages apartments and invests in commercial property. Arnel & Affiliates does business primarily in southern California. Through his business practices Argyros has achieved a net worth around $1 billion.

In 2001 Arnel, and Argyros in particular, were implicated in a scheme that bilked millions of dollars from low-income tenants. Arnel paid $1.5 million in a settlement deal, but only after Orange County district attorney Tony Rackauckas shut the investigation down. Argyros and Arnel had raised over $30,000 in campaign funding for Rackauckas, so the closure of the investigation was considered suspicious, and was the subject of criticism from a subsequently-convened grand jury..^[1]

Argyros has been a Republican many years and was a close associate of President Richard Nixon. Argyros was an important player in opening the first permanent U.S trade office in Madrid, Spain in January 2003. His successful involvement in dealing with the Spanish government most likely contributed to his appointment as U.S ambassador.

Argyros still resides in California and is married with three children.