Sergey Yulyevich Witte (June 17, 1849, Tiflis — March 13, 1915, Petrograd) was a prominent statesman of the Russian Empire, born into a family of Baltic Germans. He served as Minister of Railways (February–August 1892), Minister of Finance (1892–1903), Chairman of the Committee of Ministers (1903–1906), and the country's first-ever Chairman of the Council of Ministers (October 1905 – April 1906). His connection to Nizhny Novgorod is associated primarily with the cholera epidemic of 1892 and with his being awarded the title of Honorary Citizen of the city.[1]

Public Service

Witte came to government service from the business world: before his appointment to the government, he had headed the Society of Southwestern Railways. As Minister of Finance, he carried out the monetary reform of 1897, introducing the gold standard for the ruble, which ensured the currency's stability until 1914. Under his tenure, labor legislation was developed that was considered the most progressive of its time. At Witte's initiative, the October Manifesto of 1905 was drafted, granting civil liberties and proclaiming the establishment of the State Duma.[2] Witte's successor as Chairman of the Council of Ministers was Ivan Logginovich Goremykin.[1]

Trip to Nizhny Novgorod During the Cholera Epidemic

During the cholera epidemic, Witte undertook an inspection tour of the affected areas of the Volga Region, beginning with Samara and Saratov and concluding in Nizhny Novgorod. In the city he was received by Governor Nikolay Baranov, who, according to Witte's own memoirs, attempted to unnerve the official by taking him on an all-day tour of hospitals filled with cholera patients. By that point, however, Witte had already visited Samara and was "hardened" by such scenes, showing no sign of distress. Baranov, according to those close to him, acknowledged that the ploy had been in vain. In his memoirs, Witte noted that the Nizhny Novgorod governor was the only official he had visited who was genuinely and actively engaged in combating the epidemic and who enjoyed the trust of the population.[3]

Witte reported his impressions from the trip to Emperor Alexander III. Among other things, he described the selfless work of student sanitary workers — and, according to Witte, it was precisely these reports that changed the Emperor's attitude toward students: Alexander III acknowledged that "this youth is perhaps the most honest and noble part of the Russian intelligentsia."[3]

Connection to Nizhny Novgorod

Witte was awarded the title of Honorary Citizen of Nizhny Novgorod — among several other cities: Aleksandrovsk, Yekaterinburg, Kazan, Odessa, Tikhvin, and Cherepovets.[1] Sergey Yulyevich Witte was buried at the Lazarevskoe Cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra in Petrograd.[1]

Sources

  1. dic.academic.ru — Witte, Sergei Yulyevich — What is Witte, Sergei Yulyevich?
  2. aif.ru — Bazarov in a frock coat. How Sergei Witte appeared in the eyes of his contemporaries — Argumenty i Fakty (archive)
  3. libclub.com — Witte Sergei Yulyevich Memoirs Page 55 (archive)