Georgian Americans
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| Georgia (state), New York, California, Pennsylvania | |
| Languages | |
| American English, Georgian | |
| Religion | |
| Predominantly Eastern Orthodox Christianity, Judaism |
_-_1940s.jpg)
Georgian Americans are citizens of the United States who are of Georgian ancestry.The precise number of Georgian Americans is unknown because during their main stage of immigration - early 20th century - Georgians were mistakenly thought to be Russian as it was only recently that Georgia was freed from the Russian Empire.
History
Early stages of immigration
The earliest recorded Georgians are thought to have come to the United States as performers. One group came in 1890 as part of a troupe of Cossack horsemen hired by Buffalo Bill Cody and his Wild Congress of Rough Riders. The number of Georgians coming to the U.S. saw an increase after the political upheavals following the Russian Revolution when the Georgian nobility and intellectuals, including those residing in other parts of the Russian Empire, fled the country. A second wave of immigration of Georgians to the U.S. followed the Red Army invasion of Georgia when the remaining nobility and members of the intellectual class fled the country fearing deportation and imminent death in Russian Siberia.
Immigration during and following the Soviet Union
Emigration from Georgia was brought to a halt when in the 1920s and 30s the Soviet Union put in place restrictions on travel, both in and out of the Union. Despite this, some Georgians managed to flee to the U.S. during World War II, especially those who lived in liberated parts of Eastern Europe, as well as members of the military personnel who were stationed abroad. Following WWII, emigration from Soviet Georgia was virtually nonexistent until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, following which an estimated one-fifth of the country's population left. Unlike the first half of the 20th century, this final wave of emigration was not limited to the nobility, intellectuals, or military personnel.
Most notable Georgian Americans
Notable Americans of Georgian descent include:
- Alexander Kartveli - one of the most important aircraft designers and successful aviation innovators
- General John Shalikashvili — a former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Born to a Georgian lieutenant-colonel, who fled to Poland and then to the U.S. following the Bolshevik invasion of Georgia. Former NATO supreme commander of Europe under President Clinton and responsible for the transformation of the US Army into a much more effective fighting force.
- George Balanchine — one of the founders and balletmasters of the New York City Ballet. A son of a Georgian composer Meliton Balanchivadze who initially emigrated to Russia.
- Andrew Sidamon-Eristoff — a Republican Party politician serving as New Jersey State Treasurer. Descended from the Georgian noble house of Sidamon-Eristavi, members of which emigrated to the U.S. following the Russian Revolution and the Bolshevik invasion of Georgia.
- Svetlana Alliluyeva-Stalin (Lana Peters) — the only daughter of Joseph Stalin who defected to the United States in the 1960s.
- Prince Georges V. Matchabelli — an American perfumer and a former diplomat who emigrated to the U.S. following the Bolshevik invasion of Georgia.