Ignatius L. Donnelly

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 Congressman, populist writer, and fringe scientist. 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.