Modest Andrejewitsch von Korff

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Modest Andrejewitsch Baron von Korff

Modest Andrejewitsch Baron von Korff ( count since 1872 ) (born September 23, 1800 in St. Petersburg , † January 14, 1876 ) was a Russian statesman. He was particularly important as a legal expert, but also played a significant role in expanding the imperial public library as president . He was also active as an author and historian.

Count's coat of arms (1872) for
Modest von Korff

Life

He came from the noble family Korff, which was also widespread in Courland and Russia, originally from Westphalia . Together with Alexander Michailowitsch Gorchakov and Alexander Sergejewitsch Pushkin he attended the Lyceum Tsarskoje Selo .

In 1817 Korff joined the Russian Ministry of Justice . Between 1819 and 1826 he was part of a commission to compile laws for a civil code. In 1826 he was appointed councilor. At the instigation of Michail Michailowitsch Speranski , he switched to the second department of the Tsar's private chancellery, responsible for legislative issues. In 1827 he became a college councilor and in 1829 a councilor of state. A year later he became vice director of the Department of Duties and Customs. In 1832 he became a real Councilor of State and Executive Director of the Committee of Ministers. Two years later he was appointed provisionally and finally in 1839 as Reich Secretary. As such he has improved numerous bills and has balanced different positions of the Reich Councilors. Since 1836 he was a secret council. In 1843 Korff moved to the first department of the Reichsrat responsible for laws. He was responsible for the new structures of the Reichsrat and the Reich Chancellery. As a legal expert, he has given legal lectures to the Grand Dukes since 1847.

Between 1849 and 1861 von Korff was director of the imperial public library. During his term of office, he expanded these considerably and opened them up to the public more than before. We owe him a large increase in the funds available for the library. He himself donated the proceeds of 32,000 rubles from the sale of two of his works. Since 1861 the library hall, which contains works on Russia in foreign languages, has been called the “Baron Korff Hall”.

In 1861 von Korff became head of the second division of the Tsar's secret chancellery. Among other things, he made the department's large library accessible to the public. From this influential position, however, he was ousted by Count Panin in 1864. But in the same year Alexander II made him President of the first departments of the Imperial Council. However, von Korff was aware that his power was broken and retired in 1872. In gratitude for the services he had rendered to the state, the emperor appointed him Count of Russia .

author

Von Korff was also active as an author. He also wrote a history of the Imperial Council. He wrote about Russian history but also shorthand . He also dealt with the Decembrist uprising of 1825 and the accession to the throne of Nicholas I. In 1862 he published a work on Speransky. Most recently he worked on a comprehensive history of the reign of Nicholas I, but left the work unfinished. His writings are important because they were based on official archives and letters.

Fonts

  • The accession of Emperor Nicholas I of Russia to the throne in 1825. According to his own notes and the memories of the imperial family, published by Baron M. von Korff on the orders of his imperial majesty Alexander II . Berlin, 1858 digitized
  • The life of Count Speransky 2 vols., 1861

literature

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Korff, Modest Andrejewitsch von
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Korff, Modest Andrejewitsch Baron von (full name); Count
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Russian statesman
DATE OF BIRTH September 23, 1800
PLACE OF BIRTH St. Petersburg
DATE OF DEATH January 14, 1876