[2] In the dictatorial Metaxas Regime, he served as Minister for the Capital District.
Following the suicide of Prime Minister Alexandros Koryzis on 18 January 1941, amidst the German invasion of Greece, King George II of Greece considered him to head a new cabinet, but his candidacy was unsuccessful, as he was closely associated with the Metaxas Regime and few politicians were willing to work under him; the British ambassador to Greece, Michael Palairet, also opposed his nomination in talks with the King, due to Kotzias' Germanophile reputation.
[3] During the Axis Occupation of Greece, he lived in the United States.
He was elected an MP for Athens in 1950 and was re-elected as the city's mayor in 1951, shortly before his death.
One of his sons was George Cotzias, a well known physician that pioneered the L-dopa treatment for Parkinson's disease.