Ivan Svanidze

Ivan "Dzhonrid" Alexandrovich Svanidze (Russian: Иван "Джонрид" Александрович Свани́дзе; Georgian: ივანე ალექსანდრეს ძე სვანიძე; Ivane Aleksandres dze Svanidze; 1927 – 1990), was a Soviet academic who specialized in agriculture and African Studies. He was the nephew of Joseph Stalin and his first wife, Ketevan Svanidze, and the third husband of Stalin's youngest daughter, Svetlana Alliluyeva.

Early Life

Svanidze was the son of Old Bolshevik Alexander Svanidze and Maria Anisimovna (née Korona) . His parents were Georgians; his father's family were minor nobility from Kutaisi Governorate. His mother was from a Jewish family in Tiflis, and was an opera singer at the Tiflis Opera and Ballet Theatre.

Their son was born in Berlin, Weimar Republic, where his father was working as part of a trade mission. They named him after American socialist John Reed, best known for his account of the Russian Revolution, Ten Days That Shook the World. His name was Russified "Dzhonrid", and he was often called "Dzhono", "Dzhoni" or "Vano." He also used the name Ivan, the Russian version of John.

Education and career

He graduated from Moscow State University with a degree in history. In 1964, he received a Ph.D. from the USSR Academy of Sciences's Institute of African Studies. He received a second doctorate in economics in 1978.