Aristaki Bey

Grégoire Aristarchi was an Ottoman diplomat from a Greek Orthodox family, with legal training and experience in provincial administration. He is also associated with Législation ottomane, a collection in seven volumes that made Ottoman laws and regulations available in French. His Washington service from 1873 to 1883 brought this legal background into disputes over the rights claimed by American citizens in Ottoman territory. ^{1, 2}

In the Patrick Kelly affair, Aristarchi challenged American officials’ removal of a sailor from Ottoman jurisdiction after a fatal shooting. He argued to Secretary of State William Evarts that American agents had enabled Kelly’s departure and that an extradition treaty could not resolve the case while Kelly remained outside the United States. He sought wider attention to Ottoman objections and ultimately accepted American compensation of $1,200 for the victim’s family in 1878. The dispute exposed incompatible interpretations of the 1830 treaty’s provisions on criminal jurisdiction. ²

He also handled maritime questions. In February 1877 he sent Hamilton Fish the proposed arrangement for gradually reducing additional Suez Canal tolls and explained why the Ottoman government supported it. His note asked Washington to bring the changes to the attention of American shipping interests, while maintaining the Porte’s legal position against the canal company. ³

After leaving Washington, Aristarchi lived in Paris and advised Alfred Nobel on international affairs. Sinan Kuneralp’s study describes his recall as connected with a palace dispute over American rifle purchases. After Abdülhamid II’s removal, Aristarchi returned to Ottoman diplomatic service in the Netherlands. ¹

At The Hague he helped complete the Ottoman gift of a Hereke carpet to the Peace Palace, succeeding Misak Efendi in that work. A Turkish ambassador’s speech published by the Peace Palace records its delivery on 19 August 1911 and refers to the restoration of Aristarchi’s grave in The Hague. ⁴