Ivan Grigory Romanov was born on 18 October 2273 in Petrograd, Russia Province, to a family of noble stock.   Romanov was recognized early on as a fine artist and musician, whose talents for poetry were truly remarkable.  He was educated at Julliard University and graduated in 2296 with degrees in Political Philosophy and Literature.  Romanov quickly became one of the most outspoken proponents of the Droid Rights Movement of the early 24th century.  He was quickly recognized as an excellent orator and became the champion of Droid issues when elected to the Imperial Parliament of Planets in 2205.

Romanov’s first book, The Rights of the Engineered (2307) was a landmark work of civil rights literature which caused a large public outcry.  This forced the government of the United Imperial Worlds finally to ban the sale of Androids and Biodroids, and regulate their construction for purposes of Droid families.  During this period, Romanov spent countless hours documenting the labors of his mentor, Emperor Ybrk Ysstr.  His second work, Legacy of the Ancients (2314), was a scholarly study of sites and artifacts constructed by the ancients.  The work provoked an intense drive to solve the many ancient mysteries and was the driving ideology behind the xenoarchaeology departments at both Leptax University and at the Taurian Royal Academy of Sciences. 

Romanov became a favorite among the Imperial government because of his great passion for academic pursuits and his great vocal abilities.  By 2319, he was a close friend of the Emperor, Nalen Tarch, whose own academic interests were similar to Romanov’s.  When Industrialists attempted to gain control of IWRS-2 for mining and forestry, Romanov and Tarch co-authored an opera, Night of Catastrophe (2321) in protest of the action.  This resulted in a boycott of many Tarnaci and Terran goods, which quickly brought the Industrialists to their knees.

The resignation of Nalen Tarch in 2327 resulted in a heated debate over the next Emperor’s identity.  Romanov was elected by almost 2/3 of the votes cast, and quickly established himself as a supporter of science and art.  He is said to have favored the Ministries of Culture and Education and donated large portions of his wealth to scientific establishments.  Romanov concerned himself primarily with leadership of the Empire through influence, and delegated most of his Imperial privileges to his Prime Minister, P. Jeremiah Benjamin.  After the onset of the Sunrise War in 2342, Romanov prepared his masterpiece, Meeting the Threat of Aggression, a speech in support of armed neutrality and non-aggressive politics.  On 28 August 2342, Romanov was murdered by Mathias Gröner during the first recitation of his speech.