Prince Ivan Sergeyevich Obolensky (May 15, 1925 – January 29, 2019) was an American
financial analyst and corporate officer. He was previously commissioned in the
United States Navy, serving as a Flight Lieutenant, and had also been a publisher.
[ He died on January 29, 2019.
]
Early life
Obolensky was born in London, England, on May 15, 1925, to Sergei Platonovich "Serge" Obolensky and Ava Alice Muriel Astor. Paternally, he belonged to the Obolensky family of Russian princes who trace their lineage to the Rurikid
The Rurik dynasty ( be, Ру́рыкавічы, Rúrykavichy; russian: Рю́риковичи, Ryúrikovichi, ; uk, Рю́риковичі, Riúrykovychi, ; literally "sons/scions of Rurik"), also known as the Rurikid dynasty or Rurikids, was ...
rulers of Russia who preceded the Romanov emperors. Through his mother, he was a great-great-great-grandson of John Jacob Astor and the elder grandson of John Jacob Astor IV, who died on the RMS ''Titanic''[ and is thus, a member of the Astor family.
Obolensky was educated at St. George's School in Middletown, Rhode Island, and graduated from Yale College in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1947. While at Yale, he was a member of St. Elmo, a senior ]secret society
A secret society is a club or an organization whose activities, events, inner functioning, or membership are concealed. The society may or may not attempt to conceal its existence. The term usually excludes covert groups, such as intelligence a ...
.
Career
After Yale, Obolensky became a writer working for Telavid Inc. Imports, and went on to serve with the United States Navy as a pilot. In 1957, he formed a publishing firm McDowell, Obolensky Inc. with a partner, David McDowell. The firm published James Agee
James Rufus Agee ( ; November 27, 1909 – May 16, 1955) was an American novelist, journalist, poet, screenwriter and film critic. In the 1940s, writing for ''Time Magazine'', he was one of the most influential film critics in the United States. ...
's Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...
-winning novel, ''A Death in the Family
''A Death in the Family'' is an autobiographical novel by author James Agee, set in Knoxville, Tennessee. He began writing it in 1948, but it was not quite complete when he died in 1955 (with reputedly many portions having been written in the hom ...
'' (1957), and was the U.S. publisher for Chinua Achebe's '' Things Fall Apart'' (1959). It was dissolved in 1960. Obolensky then formed a second publishing house, Ivan Obolensky, Inc. This firm continued through 1965, when he joined the investment banking firm of A. T. Brod & Company as a partner.Wall Street
Wall Street is an eight-block-long street in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It runs between Broadway in the west to South Street and the East River in the east. The term "Wall Street" has become a metonym for t ...
as a financial analyst, Obolensky covered many prestigious accounts. He was Vice President of Moseley, Hallgarten, Estabrook & Weeden Inc., Stock brokers
A stockbroker is a regulated broker, broker-dealer, or registered investment adviser (in the United States) who may provide financial advisory and investment management services and execute transactions such as the purchase or sale of stocks and ...
and Vice President of Shields & Company. Obolensky was an active member of the philanthropic community in New York. He was, for many years, an active supporter of the Soldiers', Sailors', Marines', Coast Guard and Airmen's Club
The Soldiers', Sailors', Marines', Coast Guard and Airmen's Club was a private social club founded in 1919 and located at 283 Lexington Avenue between East 36th and 37th Streets in the Murray Hill neighborhood of Midtown Manhattan, New York Ci ...
, and New York's International Debutante Ball, which benefits the club. He was also Treasurer of the Russian Nobility Association in America, Inc., and the US Prior of the Orthodox Order of St. John.
Personal life
Obolensky first married in New York City on October 10, 1949 to Claire Elizabeth McGinnis (1929–2015).née
A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...
Leonhardt) McGinnis (1887–1984). Before their divorce in 1956,
Descendants
Through his son David, he was the grandfather of Princess Natalya Elizabeth Davidovna Obolensky (b. 1984) and Princess Octavia Willing Davidovna Obolensky (b. 1989).
Through his son Serge, he was the grandfather of Prince Alexander Vasily Sergeyevich Obolensky (b. 1994) and Prince Christopher Chapman Sergeyevich Obolensky (b. 1999).
Death
Prince Ivan died on January 29, 2019. His funeral was held at the Church of the Incarnation in New York City.
See also
* ''Burke's Peerage & Baronetage''
References
External links
www.ancestry.comwww.ancestry.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Obolensky, Ivan Sergeyevich
1925 births
2019 deaths
Rurikids
Ivan Sergeyevich
Astor family
Schermerhorn family
Livingston family
British emigrants to the United States
Yale College alumni
St. George's School (Rhode Island) alumni
United States Navy officers
United States Naval Aviators