Mikhail Aleksandrovich Urusov was a Russian statesman, Governor), holding the post from 1844. He was succeeded in the office by Fyodor Vasilyevich Annenkov. He is known for initiatives to develop the city's infrastructure, most notably the first Nizhny Novgorod water supply system.
The water supply system
Arriving in Nizhny Novgorod in 1844, Urusov took up the long-overdue task of raising water from the low bank of the Volga to the Upper Part. Before him, several projects had already been rejected or lost: around 1835 a society formed to carry out one of them fell apart. Aware of the slowness of bureaucratic procedures, Urusov acted along two lines at once: he sought official permission for construction while also considering practical proposals.
Among the proposals received, one from Nizhny Novgorod merchant Blumberg stood out: he believed that a steam engine could be used to raise Volga water to the St. George's Tower of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin. However, the tower stands on a steep slope, and concerns about the water pressure on its masonry forced a search for other technical solutions.
The Nizhny Novgorod prison
In 1853, under Governor Urusov, so-called "umbrellas" — wooden shields covering the windows of the Nizhny Novgorod prison's cells from the outside by a little more than half — were installed on the cell windows. This innovation provoked fierce hatred among the inmates. Urusov's successor in the post, the liberal-minded F. V. Annenkov, ordered the "umbrellas" removed, but by the 1870s they had reappeared on the prison's windows.
Sources
Materials from articles used (3)
Water Supply System in Nizhny Novgorod, Nizhny Novgorod Ostrog, Annenkov Fyodor Vasilyevich)