Ignatieff, George, 1913-1989 : George Ignatieff was born in St.Petersburg, Russia, the youngest of five boys born to Count Paul and Countess Natalie Ignatieff. After fleeing Russia during the Bolshevik Revolution, the family settled in England. George attended private school in Putney and St.Paul's School in London. In September 1928, he moved to Canada with his mother, Natalie, and his brother Alex.
From 1928 to 1932, George continued his education in Montreal at Lower Canada College, and in Toronto at Central Technical School and Jarvis Collegiate. He graduated with a B.A. in Political Science and Economics from Trinity College, University of Toronto in 1936, and went to Oxford on a Rhodes Scholarship, completing his M.A. in Slavic Studies in 1938. He also studied for one year at the University of London.
At the beginning of 1939 Ignatieff spent more than six months in the Balkans doing research. In summer of 1939 he joined an Intelligence unit of the British army which studied the implications of the Nazi-Soviet Pact. In 1940, he joined Canada's Foreign Service in England.
After arriving in Ottawa in 1944, George Ignatieff worked for the Department of External Defense on United Nations issues. He was the UN specialist on the Atomic Energy Commission in Ottawa and a member of Canada's General Assembly delegation. His postings with the Department of External Affairs included: Canadian ambassador to Yugoslavia (1956-1958), Deputy High Commissioner in London (1959-1960), Assistant Undersecretary of State for External Affairs (1960-1962), permanent representative of Canada to NATO (1962-1963), Canadian ambassador to the UN (1966-1969), and permanent representative of Canada to the UN in Geneva (1970-1979).
Ignatieff's career as an educator included his role as Provost and Vice-chancellor of Trinity College (1972-1979) and Chancellor of the University of Toronto (1980-1986). From 1973 to 1978, he chaired the National Museums of Canada Board. He was made a Companion of the Order of Canada in 1973, and was awarded the Pearson Medal of Peace in 1984. He also received many honourary degrees.
George Ignatieff was married to Alison Grant, with whom he had two sons. He died on August 10, 1989.
