Ignatius L. Donnelly

Ignatius L. Donnelly
Portrait by Mathew Brady c. 1860–1865
Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
In office
January 4, 1897 – January 1, 1899
Constituency24th district
In office
January 3, 1887 – January 6, 1889
Constituency25th district
Member of the Minnesota Senate
In office
January 5, 1891 – January 6, 1895
Constituency24th district
In office
January 6, 1874 – January 6, 1879
Constituency20th district
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Minnesota's 2nd district
In office
March 4, 1863 – March 3, 1869
Preceded byCyrus Aldrich
Succeeded byEugene McLanahan Wilson
2nd Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota
In office
January 2, 1860 – March 4, 1863
GovernorAlexander Ramsey
Preceded byWilliam Holcombe
Succeeded byHenry Adoniram Swift
Personal details
BornIgnatius Loyola Donnelly
(1831-11-03)November 3, 1831
DiedJanuary 1, 1901(1901-01-01) (aged 69)
PartyDemocratic (before 1857, 1884–1887)
Republican (1857–1884)
Independent (1887–1892)
People's (1892–1901)
Spouses
  • Katherine McCaffrey
    (m. 1855; died 1894)
  • Marian Hanson
    (m. 1898)
Children3
ProfessionAttorney
Author
Signature
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Ignatius Loyola Donnelly (November 3, 1831 – January 1, 1901) was an American U.S. Representative, populist writer, and pseudoscientist. He is known primarily now for his fringe theories concerning Atlantis, Catastrophism (especially the idea of an ancient impact event affecting ancient civilizations), and Shakespearean authorship. These works are widely regarded as examples of pseudoscience and pseudohistory. Donnelly's work corresponds to the writings of late-19th and early-20th century figures such as Helena Blavatsky, Rudolf Steiner, and James Churchward.