Alexander Petrovich Stepanov

He was born in 1781 in the village of Zenovka, Kaluga province, into the family of the ancient noble family of the Stepanovs. His father died when he was only 10 years old, and Alexander was educated at the boarding school of a professor at Moscow's Shaden University. Since 1793, Stepanov studied at the noble boarding school of Moscow University, and after graduation joined the army. He served on the staff of Alexander Suvorov and participated in the famous Italian campaign of the Generalissimo in 1799. In 1801, Stepanov, having married the daughter of General Bykov of the Starooskolsky Infantry regiment, retired with the rank of staff captain. The following year, he joined the civil service, the Department of Justice.

In 1804, Stepanov received the title of collegiate assessor and was appointed prosecutor in Kaluga. In 1809, he became a collegiate counselor, and on January 5, 1812, he resigned with the intention of re-enlisting in military service. Since the beginning of the Patriotic War of 1812, Stepanov worked in the rear of the army under Senator Kaverin, who was in charge of supplying the army with food, and then engaged in the restoration of provinces.

In 1814, Stepanov resigned once more. He settled in his estate of Lovat, Zhizdrinsky district, raised his children, and wrote the poem "Suvorov." Soon, having assigned his sons to a Noble boarding school, Stepanov left for St. Petersburg. In 1822, he received the high rank of state councilor and a new appointment as governor of the Yenisei province. On March 28, 1823, he arrived in Krasnoyarsk and took up his duties. The Yenisei province was formed a year earlier, in 1822, at the suggestion of the outstanding statesman Mikhail Speransky. It includes five districts: Krasnoyarsk, Yeniseysky (with Turukhansky territory), Achinsky, Minusinsky and Kansky. The city of Krasnoyarsk was approved as the administrative center of the newly formed province.

After becoming governor, Alexander Stepanov carried out a lot of work on the improvement of Krasnoyarsk. He founded the first scientific society in the city, Conversations about the Yenisei Region. Under his rule, a pharmacy, a hospital, bread shops, the first public library and printing house, a public charity order, six workhouses for exiles appeared in the city, and two new two-class schools were established. Stepanov also organized a City garden in Krasnoyarsk (now the Central Park).

Stepanov opposed the encumbrance of peasants with taxes, persecuted usury and abuse of officials.

On April 26, 1831, Stepanov was removed from office without the right to occupy high positions – for his "benevolent attitude towards the Decembrists." The fact is that Stepanov was a close friend of the Decembrist Gavriil Batenkov and supported the Decembrist Vasily Davydov, who lived in Krasnoyarsk.

From 1831 to 1834, Stepanov lived on his estate in Kaluga province, engaged in literary work: in 1834 he wrote the novel "The Inn", in 1835 he wrote a 2-volume local history work "Description of the Yenisei province".

In 1835-1837 . Stepanov was the governor of Saratov province. There he contributed to the closure of the Irgiz Old Believer monastery, which became the reason for his recall from the province. On March 27, 1837, he became a member of the Statistical Committee of the Ministry of the Interior.

Alexander Stepanov died on November 25, 1837. He is buried in his family estate, in the village of Troitskoye, Meshchersky district, Kaluga province.

Stepanov was awarded the Orders of St. Vladimir, 4th degree (1812), St. Anna, 2nd (1812) and 4th (1799) degrees, St. Stanislaus, 1st degree, and the Maltese Commander's Cross (1799).