This portrait shows Grigory Aksakov, a prominent statesman, Secret Advisor, and middle son of the writer Sergei Timofeevich Aksakov. He was born in 1820, like all other Aksakov’s sons, and then left for the capital of the Empire, where he graduated from the St. Petersburg Imperial School of Law in 1840.
Grigory Aksakov started his public career as a provincial prosecutor in Orenburg, before becoming a prosecutor in Simbirsk. In 1852 he was appointed vice-governor of the Orenburg Province, in 1853 – vice-governor of Samara Province, and from 1865 and 1867 – the governor of Ufa and Samara, respectively. According to his contemporaries, Grigory Aksakov showed himself to be an uncompromising and selfless official, ready to do anything for the prosperity of his lands. “A generous man, he strove to abide by the law in his administrative work, and always demanded the same from his subordinates, ” — remembered residents of Ufa and Samara regions of that time.
The booklet “40th Day of Grigory Aksakov”s Death”, published in Samara in 1891, shares equally kind opinions. It describes, among other things, how he traveled through Samara Province and handed out bread during the famine and abandoned all excesses in his life until the prosperity of his region had improved. It also contains several heartfelt remarks about his personality: “With all his life he has proved that every Russian man can serve his country equally faithfully, whether his state, his land, or his people, precisely because serving your country builds not on fighting for political principles, but rather on human dignity”.
In his personal life, Grigory Aksakov also succeeded quite well. In 1848 in Simbirsk he married Sophia Alexandrovna Aksakova, who, prior to marriage, held the name of a noble family of Shishkovs. In the book of noble bloodlines, where all the different privileges of Russian nobility were documented, the Shishkovs were described in the sixth part, which meant that they belonged to one of ancient noble lineages. Many members of the Shishkov family were indeed from among the highest ranking state officials. For example, Alexander Semenovich Shishkov — Admiral, Minister of Education and a well-known literary figure — descended from this family.
Grigory Aksakov started his public career as a provincial prosecutor in Orenburg, before becoming a prosecutor in Simbirsk. In 1852 he was appointed vice-governor of the Orenburg Province, in 1853 – vice-governor of Samara Province, and from 1865 and 1867 – the governor of Ufa and Samara, respectively. According to his contemporaries, Grigory Aksakov showed himself to be an uncompromising and selfless official, ready to do anything for the prosperity of his lands. “A generous man, he strove to abide by the law in his administrative work, and always demanded the same from his subordinates, ” — remembered residents of Ufa and Samara regions of that time.
The booklet “40th Day of Grigory Aksakov”s Death”, published in Samara in 1891, shares equally kind opinions. It describes, among other things, how he traveled through Samara Province and handed out bread during the famine and abandoned all excesses in his life until the prosperity of his region had improved. It also contains several heartfelt remarks about his personality: “With all his life he has proved that every Russian man can serve his country equally faithfully, whether his state, his land, or his people, precisely because serving your country builds not on fighting for political principles, but rather on human dignity”.
In his personal life, Grigory Aksakov also succeeded quite well. In 1848 in Simbirsk he married Sophia Alexandrovna Aksakova, who, prior to marriage, held the name of a noble family of Shishkovs. In the book of noble bloodlines, where all the different privileges of Russian nobility were documented, the Shishkovs were described in the sixth part, which meant that they belonged to one of ancient noble lineages. Many members of the Shishkov family were indeed from among the highest ranking state officials. For example, Alexander Semenovich Shishkov — Admiral, Minister of Education and a well-known literary figure — descended from this family.
