Grant Shapps

Grant Shapps — defense secretary with roots in the Russian Empire

Grant Shapps is a British Conservative politician who has served in multiple Cabinet positions including Home Secretary, Energy Security Secretary, and Defence Secretary. He is one of the most prominent politicians of Jewish Eastern European immigrant descent in modern British politics.

Tracing the roots — Lithuania / Rus

Shapps's ancestors came from Lithuania and Russia (Russian Empire) — part of the great Jewish emigration of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He has spoken about his Jewish heritage and its meaning in a political context, particularly regarding Israel and antisemitism.

Family name was originally "Chaps"; Jewish immigrants from the Empire.

Historical context

Russian Empire · c. 1721–1917

Lithuania / Rus. At the time, this region lay within the Russian Empire, which spanned from Poland to the Pacific.

Map: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA)

A career defined by ambition