Birth Name: Michael Grant Ignatieff
Place of Birth: Toronto, Ontario
Date of Birth: May 12, 1947
Ethnicity:
*Russian (father)
*Scottish, English (mother)
Michael Ignatieff is a Canadian author, academic, and politician. He was Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada from December 10, 2008 to May 25, 2011, and, as such, served as Leader of the Opposition in the Canadian Parliament from December 10, 2008 to May 2, 2011.
He is the son of Jessie Alison (Grant) and George Ignatieff (George Pavlovich Ignatieff), a diplomat. His father was born in Saint Petersburg, in the Russian Empire. Michael’s father’s family fled Russia after the 1917 Russian Revolution, living in France and then Canada. Michael’s mother was Canadian-born, and was of Scottish and English descent. Michael’s uncle (mother’s brother) was philosopher, professor, and political commentator George Grant (George Parkin Grant).
Michael’s paternal grandparents were Count Pavel Nikolayevich Ignatiev (the son of Nikolay Pavlovich Ignatyev and Ekaterina Leonidovna Golitsina) and Princess Natalia Nikolayevna Meshcherskaya. Michael’s grandfather Count Pavel was a politician who served as Education Minister of the Russian Empire from January 9, 1915 to December 27, 1916. Michael’s great-grandfather Nikolay was a statesman and diplomat.
Michael’s maternal grandparents were William Lawson Grant (the son of George Monro Grant and Jessie Lawson) and Maude Erskine Parkin (the daughter of Sir George Robert Parkin and Annie Connell Fisher). Michael’s great-grandfather George was a Presbyterian minister, writer, and political activist. Michael’s great-grandmother Jessie was the granddaughter of William Lawson, the first president of the Bank of Nova Scotia. Michael’s other great-grandfather, Sir George, was an educator, imperialist, and author.
Sources: Genealogies of Michael Ignatieff – http://www.geni.com
http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com