Tom Chris Korologos

The son of immigrant parents from Greece, Korologos parlayed a dogged determination and his political expertise to become a prominent fixture in the Washington D.C. political landscape for more than 60 years. He was so respected on Capitol Hill that he was often referred to as the “101st Senator”.

Korologos talked with Kings, Presidents, and baseball Hall of Famers without losing his common touch. He loved his country tremendously and had an unquenchable passion for life, which his intellect, creativity, and sharp sense of humor helped him tackle with enviable gusto. He was an accomplished photographer—a life-long hobby that he said, “Keeps you in focus”.

He is credited with creating Utah’s famous tourism promotional slogan “The Greatest Snow on Earth”, which first appeared in a story he wrote in 1960 for The Salt Lake Tribune.

Korologos began his political career in 1962 when he left a Salt Lake City advertising agency for Washington D.C. to serve for nine years on the staff of Sen. Wallace F. Bennett (R-UT), first as press secretary and then as administrative assistant.

Korologos then became Deputy Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs (Senate) for President Nixon and then for President Ford. He and other White House colleagues left the White House in 1975 and formed Timmons and Company, a premier Washington lobbying firm, for which he was Chairman of the Executive Committee.

He served as Director of Congressional Relations for President Reagan’s transition and assisted the Reagan and both Bush Administrations as a volunteer on various Senate confirmations saying it was his “duty as an American”. Korologos managed some 300 U.S. Senate confirmations including those for Vice President Nelson Rockefeller, Chief Justice William Rehnquist (twice), Secretaries Henry Kissinger, Donald Rumsfeld, and Alexander Haig, and Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, among others.

Korologos was a longtime member and served as Chairman of the United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, was a charter member of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, and served on the National Security Agency advisory board. He also served as congressional relations director for the National Bipartisan (Kissinger) Commission on Central America.

Korologos orchestrated the tradition of U.S. Presidents inviting the Archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and other Greek dignitaries to the White House to celebrate Greek Independence Day.

In 2003 Korologos was Senior Counselor to Ambassador L. Paul Bremer, Administrator, Office of Coalition Provisional Authority in Baghdad, Iraq, and the U.S. Defense Dept. where he was responsible for Congressional affairs, played a key role in the passage of President George W. Bush’s Iraq reconstruction supplemental budget request, and coordinated and shepherded 275 members of Congress through Iraq.

From 2004 to 2007 Korologos served as United States Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium where he formed a Muslim Outreach program that was adopted by the State Department for deployment throughout the world.

Earlier in his career Korologos was a journalist with The New York Herald Tribune, The Long Island Press, The Salt Lake Tribune, and the Associated Press. He also served as a Second Lieutenant in the Air Force from 1956 and 1957 as the Information Services Officer at Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas, after ROTC.

He received his B.A. Degree from the University of Utah and his M.S. Degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism where he was awarded the Grantland Rice Fellowship and a Pulitzer Fellowship. He received an honorary Doctorate of Laws from the American College of Greece in 1989 and an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from the University of Utah in 2003.

He was born in Salt Lake City on April 6, 1933, the son of Chris T. and Irene K. Korologos. His parents had each emigrated from Greece and operated a tavern in Salt Lake. Korologos was married to Joy Goff in 1960.

She preceded him in death in 1997. He married former Secretary of Labor Ann McLaughlin in 2000 and she died in 2023. His sister Gregoria “Greg” Korologos predeceased him in 2021.

He is survived by siblings Mike C. Korologos and Elaine K. Guin, both of Salt Lake City. Also surviving him are his children Ann (Lee) Bazzarone—Vienna, Virginia; Philip (Paloma)—Chatham, New York; and Paula (Michael) Lisbe—Los Angeles, California; his grandchildren Ashley and Nicholas (Lauren) Bazzarone; Jack, Lexi, Penelope and Georgie Korologos; and Charlie and Grady Lisbe; and his great grandchildren Leo and Atticus Bazzarone.

Funeral services will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Monday August 5, 2024, at Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Washington D.C., 2815 36th Street NW, Washington D.C. Visitation will be at Joseph Gawler’s Son funeral home, 5130 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington D.C. on Sunday August 4, 2024, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Interment will be at Oak Hill Cemetery, Washington DC.

In lieu of flowers the family suggests donations to The Hellenic Initiative, www.thehellenicinitiative.org, or the Alf Engen Ski Museum, www.engenmuseum.org.