Mission’s History

Greece was established as an independent country in 1832, after a long war for independence.  The United States recognized the new Greek government in 1833 and in December 1837, a commercial treaty was signed which regulated trade between the two countries for the next eighty-two years. In 1866, the first Greek consulate was established in New Orleans, which was home to the first significant Greek community.  Records indicate that Nicolas Benachi was the first Greek consul in New Orleans. In 1867, Demetrious Nicholas Botassis was named Consul General of Greece in New York City.  By 1900, American consulates were established in several locations on the Greek mainland and the Aegean islands, as the development of Greek American diplomatic and commercial relations progressed slowly throughout the nineteenth century.