Nick Mitropoulos, one of former Massachusetts governor Michael Dukakis‘ closest associates, has died in Boston at the age of 73. He was a defining figure on the political scene, particularly for the Greek-American community.

Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Mitropoulos was the third child of Catherine and Theodore Mitropoulos. After graduating from Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, he continued his studies at Boston University and completed a second degree at Oxford University, according to greekreporter.

He was involved in the initiative that led to the creation of a direct flight between Athens and Boston by Delta Air Lines starting in May 2022. He remained active in politics with Democrats until the end.

Pierrakakis’ post

In a post, Treasury Secretary Kyriakos Pierrakakis bids farewell to Nick Mitropoulos, noting his significant contributions to the Greek American community and his work as a mentor and friend to many young Greeks.

“Nick Mitropoulos was not just an iconic figure in the Greek American community. He was a man who touched and changed many lives,” the minister said in his post. Referring to his student years, Pierrakakis described Nick Mitropoulos as a mentor who became a friend.

“History will remember him as Michael Dukakis’ closest associate in the 1988 presidential campaign and in the years that followed,” he noted, acknowledging the important role he played in the U.S. political scene and his academic career, particularly at Harvard’s Kennedy School.

Kyriakos Pierrakakis stressed Nick’s deep love for Greece, which has been selfless and dedicated, with no intention of reciprocation.

The minister’s post in detail:

“Nick Mitropoulos was not just an iconic figure in the Greek American community. He was a man who touched and changed many lives.

In my student years he was always there. For me, as for many young Greeks, Nick was a mentor – who in the process became a friend. With a word of encouragement, with a word of advice, with that subtle but profound presence that marked you.

History will remember him as Michael Dukakis’ closest associate in the 1988 presidential campaign and in the years that followed. And soon after, as a distinctive figure at Harvard, at the Kennedy School, where he left an indelible imprint on a generation of students.

In the public forum that his work earned him, he expressed his deep love for Greece. A love that was selfless, unrequited, without expecting anything in return. He was a patriot of the diaspora in all his being.

The Greek American community is poorer without Nick. But his memory will live on – because he taught many that politics and life only become meaningful when practiced with integrity, humanity and love of country.”