Jon Grissom

Jon Grissom is a famed Alliance hero, born in 2113. In 2149 when the Charon Relay was discovered orbiting Pluto and activated, none of the probes sent through had enough power to transmit a message back. The Alliance soon understood that the only way to discover where the relay led was to send a team through it. Grissom was chosen as the team leader and hailed as a hero when he returned, adopted by the masses as one of the great pioneers of human space exploration.

However, on a personal level, Grissom was a sullen, retiring man who didn't relish the attention. Though he took a leading role during the First Contact War, in 2160, Grissom became a recluse on Elysium and refused any interviews or contact with the Alliance media. He attained the rank of Rear Admiral in the Alliance Navy.

Mass Effect: Revelation
In 2165, Grissom was en route to Arcturus to meet the new graduates of the N7 program when news of Shanxi broke. Grissom discussed the developing situation with one of the graduates, David Anderson.

After the war, during his retirement on Elysium, Grissom's daughter Kahlee Sanders came to him for help and told him of the destruction of Sidon. Grissom hid Kahlee, tried to put Anderson off the case and guarded the house with a shotgun by night. When Skarr arrived, Grissom tried to fight him off, but was caught in the krogan's line of fire. Grissom survived but refused medical treatment to keep Kahlee hidden (a war hero showing up with gunshot wounds would have attracted too much attention). He then used his connections to get Kahlee secretly off the planet, with Anderson to keep her safe.

Mass Effect: Ascension
Though Grissom does not appear in Mass Effect: Ascension, his influence is felt; the Jon Grissom Academy bears his name, and Jiro Toshiwa's mention of her father (when her relation to Jon Grissom is classified and is only known in a document filed by Anderson) alerts Kahlee Sanders that Jiro is a traitor.