Ignatius L. Donnelly facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ignatius L. Donnelly
Donnelly c. 1865
Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
In office 1887–1888, 1897–1898
Member of the Minnesota Senate
In office 1874–1878, 1891–1894
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Minnesota's 2nd district
In office March 4, 1863 – March 3, 1869
Preceded by	Cyrus Aldrich
Succeeded by	Eugene McLanahan Wilson
2nd Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota
In office January 2, 1860 – March 4, 1863
Governor	Alexander Ramsey
Preceded by	William Holcombe
Succeeded by	Henry Adoniram Swift
Personal details
Born	Ignatius Loyola Donnelly (1831-11-03)November 3, 1831 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	January 1, 1901(1901-01-01) (aged 69) Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
Political party	Democratic (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)​
Children	3
Profession	Attorney Author
Signature

Ignatius Loyola Donnelly (November 3, 1831 – January 1, 1901) was an American politician and writer. He served as a U.S. Congressman and held other important roles in Minnesota. Donnelly was also known for his interesting ideas and theories about ancient history and literature. He wrote books about a lost continent called Atlantis, a giant comet hitting Earth, and who really wrote Shakespeare's plays.

Early Life and Education

Ignatius Donnelly was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His father, Philip Carrol Donnelly, came from Ireland. Philip studied medicine but sadly passed away when Ignatius was young. His mother, Catherine, took care of their five children by running a pawn shop.

Ignatius was the youngest son. He went to Central High School, a well-known public school. He was very good at literature there.

After school, Donnelly decided to become a lawyer. He worked for Benjamin H. Brewster, who later became a top lawyer for the U.S. government. Ignatius became a lawyer himself in 1852. In 1855, he married Katherine McCaffrey. They had three children together.

Moving to Minnesota and Public Service

In 1857, Donnelly moved to the Minnesota Territory. He tried to start a special community called Nininger City with some friends. It was meant to be a place where people worked together. However, a financial crisis in 1857 stopped their plans. This left Donnelly with many debts.

Donnelly then entered politics as a Republican. He ran for the state legislature twice but didn't win. Still, people noticed he was a great speaker. This helped him win the election for Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota. He held this job from 1860 to 1863.

He later became a U.S. Congressman for Minnesota. He served in Congress from 1863 to 1869. As a lawmaker, he supported important causes. He wanted to help provide education for formerly enslaved people. He also supported women's suffrage, which meant giving women the right to vote.

Donnelly continued to serve in the Minnesota state government. He was a state senator from 1874 to 1878 and again from 1891 to 1894. He was also a state representative from 1887 to 1888 and from 1897 to 1898.

Populist Movement and Later Life

After leaving the state senate in 1878, Donnelly went back to being a lawyer and writing. He became a key leader in the People's Party, also known as the Populist Party. This party was formed to help farmers and working people.

In 1892, Donnelly helped write the main ideas for the People's Party's platform. This document talked about how politics could be unfair. It also said that newspapers sometimes gave biased information. The Populists wanted to make the country fairer for everyone. They pushed for ideas like:

• Fairer taxes for everyone.
• Allowing people to directly elect their senators.
• An eight-hour day for workers.
• Government rules for big companies like railroads.

In 1900, Donnelly was nominated to be the Vice President of the United States for the People's Party. He also ran for governor of Minnesota that year but did not win.

Donnelly's first wife, Katherine, passed away in 1894. In 1898, he married his secretary, Marian Hanson. Ignatius Donnelly died on January 1, 1901, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, at the age of 69.

Donnelly's Unique Theories

Ignatius Donnelly was also famous for his interesting books and theories.

The Lost Continent of Atlantis

In 1882, he published Atlantis: The Antediluvian World. This was his most famous book. It explored the idea of Atlantis, a mythical lost continent. Donnelly believed Atlantis was a real, advanced civilization that existed long ago. He suggested it was destroyed by a great flood, similar to the one mentioned in the Bible.

He thought that Atlantis was the origin of many ancient civilizations. He believed its people spread out and influenced cultures in Africa (like ancient Egypt), Europe, and the Americas (like the ancient Maya civilization). This book helped make the idea of Atlantis very popular in stories and books for many years.

The Comet Impact Theory

A year after Atlantis, Donnelly published Ragnarok: The Age of Fire and Gravel. In this book, he suggested that a huge comet almost hit Earth a long time ago. He believed this event caused the great flood, destroyed Atlantis, and led to the extinction of animals like the mammoth. This idea influenced other thinkers later on.

Shakespearean Authorship Ideas

In 1888, Donnelly wrote The Great Cryptogram. In this book, he claimed that Shakespeare's plays were actually written by Francis Bacon. This was a popular idea among some people at the time. Donnelly even traveled to England to talk about his theory. However, his book was not successful, and his ideas on this topic were not widely accepted.

Works by Ignatius Donnelly

Donnelly wrote many books, including:

• Atlantis: The Antediluvian World (1882)
• Ragnarok: The Age of Fire and Gravel (1883)
• The Great Cryptogram: Francis Bacon's Cipher in Shakespeare's Plays (1888)
• Caesar's Column (1890), a science fiction novel about a future worker revolt.
• The Golden Bottle or the Story of Ephraim Benezet of Kansas (1892)

Images for kids

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  Donnelly around 1898