Jacob Makohin

Who was Jacob Makohin?

Prince Leon Mazeppa von Razumovsky, born September 27, 1880, was a Russian nobleman and a pretender to the Hetmanship of the Ukraine. He claimed to be the sole surviving descendant of Count Kirill Grigorievich Razumovsky who was the last hetman of the Ukraine.

When he was 27 years old, Prince Razumosvky escaped to the United States via Canada following an assassination attempt on his life in the Russian Empire in 1907, during which both of his parents were bayoneted through the heart. He took the name "Jacob Makohin" in honor of the man who died saving his life in the assassination attempt. Under the name Makohin he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and served during World War I as a pilot. He was promoted to Second Lieutenant June 1, 1919 and retired after being injured.

He married Susan E. Fallon of Massachusetts. Together, they lived in Austria and then Alassio, Italy during the 1930s and early 40s. During World War II that they were forced to flee back to the United States where they settled in Newton, Massachusetts. They had no children.

Prince Razumovksy died on January 13, 1956. He is believed to be the only member of European royalty buried in Arlington National Cemetery. His wife Susan was buried with him after her death in 1976.