He is a descendant of the Cycladic noble family of Mavrogenides. His father Dimitrios Mavrogenis was vice-consul of Austria. His son John lived between Germany and Austria representing the High Gate as an official. This gave him the opportunity to meet Greeks of the diaspora who were steeped in the enlightenment ideas of the French Revolution and the liberation of Greece. He was a friend and participated in the revolutionary circle of King Feraios. He was initiated into the German lodge “The Secret of the Three Kings” in Cologne in 1806. Most of the members of this lodge were officers and merchants, according to old records.