Kristo Dako, also known as Christo Dako, son of Anastas Dako, was an Albanian patriot and publisher of the early 20th century.
Education
Born in Korçë, in the Manastir Vilayet of the Ottoman Empire in 1876 Dako later migrated to Bucarest, Romania, where he finished high school and later the Faculty of Mathematics. Though he had studied mathematics, Dako"s passion was in ancient history.
Career
Dako was the husband of Sevasti Qiriazi, Albanian patriot and pioneer of female education in Albania, from the well known Kyrias (Albanian: Qiriazi) family of Monastir. The couple met in Bucharest, and moved to the United States in 1907. Dako pursued there a degree in philosophy.
He is remembered for initiating and opening the first Albanian school in United States in 1908, located in Natick, Master of Arts. Petro Nini Luarasi taught there between others
Dako returned shortly in Albania in June 1911, right in the middle of the Albanian Revolt of 1911, together with Charles Richard Crane of Chicago. There he would be imprisoned for a short time due to his nationalistic activities.
He was released afternoon with Crane"s intervention, and his persecutor Şevket Turgut Pasha immediately removed from the Ottoman authorities. Charles Crane would become one of the few lobbyists of Albania at that time, allegedly managing to influence the American government on lobbying for Albania towards the British during the London Conference of 1912-1913.
An editor of the Dielli magazine and chairman of Vatra, the Pan-Albanian Federation of America in 1913.
In 1914, he shortly visited his home town in Albania. Due to later divergences with Fan Noli, he partly retired from Vatra. In 1916, he published the short-lived (8 issues) newspaper Bilioteka Zeri i Shqiperise ("Voice of Albania Library") in Southbrigde, Master of Arts. Dako later participated in the Paris Peace Conference, 1919.
He met twice with then United States president Woodrow Wilson, and explained to him the Albanian national aspirations.
Dako also became minister of education in one of Ahmet Zogu"s cabinets. Apparently Zogu showed respect for Dako, and shortly met him in the eve of the Italian Invasion of 1939, asking for United States support through Dako"s connections.
Because of this affiliation, Dako"s name would be thrown in darkness during the communist regime of post World World War World War II
Politics
He was the strong supporter of the thesis that Albanians are descendants of the ancient Illyrians, Epirotes, and Macedonians, one of the pillars of Albanian Nationalism. In 1918 he would join the "Albanian Political Party" (Albanian: Partia Politike Shqiptare).