Paul Dmitrievich Romanovsky-Ilyinsky (January 27, 1928 – February 10, 2004) was a three-time

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

of Palm Beach, Florida, and the only child of

Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich of Russia Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich of Russia (russian: Великий Князь Дмитрий Павлович; 18 September 1891 – 5 March 1942) was a son of Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich of Russia, a grandson of Tsar Alexander II of Russia and a ...

and his

morganatic Morganatic marriage, sometimes called a left-handed marriage, is a marriage between people of unequal social rank, which in the context of royalty or other inherited title prevents the principal's position or privileges being passed to the spous ...

wife,

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

heiress Audrey Emery. He was a great-grandson of Tsar Alexander II of Russia and, following the death of Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich in 1992, the heir-male

House of Romanov The House of Romanov (also transcribed Romanoff; rus, Романовы, Románovy, rɐˈmanəvɨ) was the reigning dynasty, imperial house of Russia from 1613 to 1917. They achieved prominence after the Tsarina, Anastacia of Russia, Anastasi ...

(a position now held by his elder son), a

first cousin once removed Most generally, in the lineal kinship system used in the English-speaking world, a cousin is a type of familial relationship in which two relatives are two or more familial generations away from their most recent common ancestor. Commonly, ...

of Nicholas II, first cousin of

Lennart Bernadotte Lennart, Prince Bernadotte, Count of Wisborg (born Prince Lennart, Duke of Småland; 8 May 1909 – 21 December 2004) was a Swedish-German landscaper, filmmaker, photographer and was a grandson of King Gustaf V of Sweden. He was also the eldest gr ...

and the second cousin of

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person t ...

Early life

Prince Paul Romanovsky-Ilyinsky was born on 27 January 1928 at his parents' home, 26 Manchester Square,

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. His father, Grand Duke Dmitri, as a direct consequence of his involvement in the murder of Grigori Rasputin in 1916, had been sent to the

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

n front, which ultimately saved his life, as many of his Imperial relatives were executed by the

Bolshevik The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...

s during the

October Revolution The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key mome ...

. Dmitri, who was working as a

champagne Champagne (, ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, that demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, ...

salesman, married Cincinnati heiress Audrey Emery in 1926.

Grand Duke Cyril Vladimirovich of Russia Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich of Russia (russian: Кирилл Владимирович Романов; ''Kirill Vladimirovich Romanov''; – 12 October 1938) was a son of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia, a grandson of Emperor A ...

, Dmitri's cousin and the self-proclaimed emperor in exile, elevated Grand Duke Dmitri's wife and their descendants to Russian princely (russian: knyaz) rank (rank of nobility, not royalty). Any children the couple would have would be known as Romanovsky-Ilyinsky, the latter half of the surname derived from Dmitri's former property in Russia, Ilinskoe. Ilynskiy's parents were divorced in 1937, and Ilyinsky was raised by his mother, who mostly lived in France. That same year, she married her second husband, Prince Dimitri Djordjadze, a member of a

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

princely house; they also later divorced. Dmitri Pavlovich's health had always been somewhat frail, and in the 1930s, his chronic

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, i ...

became acute, leading to his death in 1942.

Education and career

Ilyinsky, who was a

U.S. citizen Citizenship of the United States is a legal status that entails Americans with specific rights, duties, protections, and benefits in the United States. It serves as a foundation of fundamental rights derived from and protected by the Constituti ...

, attended

Woodberry Forest School Woodberry Forest School is a private, all-male boarding school located in Woodberry Forest, Madison County, Virginia, in the United States. Woodberry's current enrollment is 405. Students come from 28 U.S. states (plus the District of Columbi ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, England, before joining the U.S. Marine Corps. He served with distinction as a combat photographer in the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

and retired a lieutenant colonel. He graduated from the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with highly selective ad ...

in 1953. Ilyinsky lived in

for about 20 years, serving on the board of the company founded by his mother's family, Emery Industries, and working as an author and photographer. In 1980, he returned to Palm Beach, Florida, where he had lived before moving to Cincinnati. He served on the Palm Beach Council for 10 years and was mayor for three terms as

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

candidate. He resigned for health reasons in 1999. Ilyinsky died at his home in Palm Beach, Florida, on February 10, 2004.

Personal life

Ilyinsky was married twice; he married his first wife, Mary Evelyn Prince in 1949 (annulment in 1951), and married his second wife, Angelica Philippa Kauffmann in 1952. Ilyinsky had four children: * Dimitri Pavlovich Romanovsky-Ilyinsky (May 1, 1954) married Martha McDowell on September 22, 1979, and has issue: ** Catherine Adair Romanovsky-Ilyinsky (August 4, 1981) married Bradley Goodyear in 2013. ** Victoria Bayard Romanovsky-Ilyinsky (November 23, 1984) married Mbeke Yves Binda in 2013. ** Lela McDowell Romanovsky-Ilyinsky (August 26, 1986) * Paula Maria Pavlovna Romanovsky-Ilyinsky (May 18, 1956) married Mark Comisar on May 31, 1980. * Anna Pavlovna Romanovsky-Ilyinsky (September 4, 1958) married Robin de Young on May 9, 1980 and they were divorced in 1990. * Michael Pavlovich Romanovsky-Ilyinsky (November 2, 1959) married Paula Maier in 1989 and they were divorced in 1996, and has issue: ** Alexis Taylor Romanovsky-Ilyinsky (March 1, 1994)Almanach de Gotha; 2013 Vol. 1; ISBN 978-0-9575198-2-4; pages 342 & 343

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ilyinsky, Paul Mayors of places in Florida House of Romanov in exile American people of Russian descent 1928 births 2004 deaths United States Marine Corps officers 20th-century American politicians Woodberry Forest School alumni Florida Republicans