Nykyfor Yakovych Hryhoriiv was born in the village of , in the
Kiev Governorate of the
Russian Empire into a family of educators. He completed his education in the city of
Horodyshche before becoming a librarian in the city of
Kiev. In 1904 he became a teacher, illegally teaching classes in Ukrainian in the region of
Podolia. A member of the , he was also head of the regional branch of the
Prosvita organisation. He wrote for the Ukrainian periodicals
Rada,
Beacon,
Light, and
Podolian News, and served in the
Imperial Russian Army from 1915 to 1917. Following the establishment of the
Ukrainian People's Republic Hryhoriiv joined the
Ukrainian Socialist-Revolutionary Party and became president of the Kyiv Council of Soldiers' Deputies, representing the council in the
Central Rada. As president of the council, he advanced efforts to establish a Ukrainian army for the newly established country. From January to February 1918, he also served as
Minister of Education in
Vsevolod Holubovych's government. After the
1918 Ukrainian coup d'état Hryhoriiv went underground, becoming a member of
Volodymyr Vynnychenko's . Following the
Anti-Hetman Uprising he served as a member of the newly established Labour Congress, and was director of the press service of the
Ukrainian People's Army. He served as a member of the USRP's central committee, and opposed the pro-Soviet
Borotbist faction. He again served as Minister of Education from April 1919 to May 1920, and in November 1920 fled to Poland. He moved to Czechoslovakia the next year, and in 1922 he co-founded the in
Poděbrady. Hryhoriiv's political career continued in exile; he continued to serve as on the USRP's central committee in exile, and in 1932 became head of the party. He continued to profess socialist and
left-wing nationalist views, viewing them as intermingled with Ukrainian aspirations for self-determination. He was also active in promoting awareness of social sciences among Ukrainians. Following the
occupation of Czechoslovakia by Nazi Germany, Hryhoriiv fled to the United States, where he continued to be active in Ukrainian cultural spheres. In 1949 he became director of
Voice of America's Ukrainian-language service, a position he would hold until his death. Hryhoriiv died in
New York City on 5 August 1953. His son, , was an artist and graphic designer. == Notes ==