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Prominent Russian navigator, statesman, admiral Konstantin Nikolaevich Posyet (1819–1899) obtained a rank of "Honorary Citizen of Tyumen"
Konstantin Nikolaevich Posyet originates from the old French family Possitt de Rossiet, whose descendant moved to Russia during the reign of Peter I. He was born on December 21, 1819 (January 2, 1820) in Helsingfors (now Helsinki) in the family of Russian Naval officer.
After the father’s death in 1830, Konstantin Posyet entered the Naval Cadet Corps, from which he graduated in 1836, as a warrant officer. In 1840, he graduated from the Officer Classes as the naval lieutenant.
In 1847, Konstantin Posyet published the book Artillerie-Exercitium, appreciated by admirals Kornilov, Nakhimov and Lazarev. In 1849, he issued the treatise Armament of War Ships, which won him a Demidov Prize from the Russian Academy of Sciences. The employment of "Posyet's shooting techniques" in naval combat operations in the Black Sea contributed to the success of Russian naval artillery near the Caucasian coast. It brought him the cross "For the Conquest of the Caucasus'' from Emperor Alexander II. Thus, thanks to his analytical mind and great energy, officer Posyet approved himself as a scientist.
In 1852-1854, Konstantin Posyet participated in the expedition of Vice-Admiral Yevfimiy Vasilyevich Putyatin on the frigate Pallada as a senior officer and translator of the Russian-Japanese Treaty of Shimoda. In 1855, Konstantin Posyet was promoted captain of the 1st rank. In 1856, he made a duty journey to Japan related to the Treaty of Shimoda. In 1860, he was appointed aide-de-camp of Emperor Alexander II. In 1868, he became the Adjutant General.
In 1874, Konstantin Posyet was appointed Minister of Ways and Communications. He fostered the development of the plans for the creation of the Siberian Transit Railway (the "northern" and "southern" variants). After careful consideration, Konstantin Posyet approved the draft of Evgeny Vasilyevich Bogdanovich, which provided the "Siberian railway from Nizhny Novgorod along the Volga cliffy shore to Kazan, Yekaterinburg, Kamyshlov and Tyumen". The Russian Cabinet of Ministers adopted only the Yekaterinburg-Tyumen section.
On October 6, 1885, the Tyumen Municipal Duma awarded Konstantin Posyet the title of "Honorary Citizen of Tyumen". The relevant decree was signed by Emperor Alexander III on January 30, 1886. In the summer of 1886, Konstantin Posyet arrived in Kamyshlov to consecrate the rail track. Then, he made a railway trip to Tyumen to mark the 300th anniversary of the city. In Tyumen, Konstantin Posyet inspected the navigating channel of the Tura and Tobol rivers. The Tobolsk authorities held a campaign for constructing a railway to Tobolsk, but the Siberian steamship entrepreneurs convinced him that local deepening of the river bed would be cheaper. This decision left Tobolsk aside from the railway for a long time.
The results of Konstantin Posyet's activity as Minister of Ways and Communications are colossal. The network of Russian railways increased by more than 9 thousand km. He fostered the approval of the General Regulations and the flag of the Ministry of Railways, creation of a network of railway schools, and construction of buildings of new railway stations.
In November 1888, Konstantin Posyet left the post of Minister of Ways and Communications after 14 years of service and became a member of the State Council. Until his death in 1899, he continued active government activities. Konstantin Posyet was an honorary citizen of Pernov, Vologda, Vytegra, Kargopol, Novgorod and Tyumen. An island in the Kara Sea, a bay, a village and a port in the Far East, as well as streets in Vladivostok and Tyumen, are named after him. In Tyumen, a memorial plate was unveiled at Privokzalnaya Street, 2a. It tells about his services to the city.
Lit.: В помощь краеведу: материалы к календарю знаменательных и памятных дат Тюменской области на 2014 год / Тюменская областная научная библиотека имени Д. И. Менделеева / сост. Н. В. Колобова. Тюмень, 2013; Ермаков И. И. Почётные граждане города Тюмени (1867–1995). Екатеринбург, 1996; Иванцова Г. И. Посьет Константин Николаевич // Большая Тюменская энциклопедия. Т. 2. И–П / ред. Г. Ф. Шафранов-Куцев. Тюмень, 2004; Копылов В. Е. Селения, названные в честь почётных граждан Тюмени // Окрик памяти (История Тюменского края глазами инженера). Тюмень, 2005. Кн. 4. С. 213–218; Кубочкин С. Н. От звания почётного гражданина отказался // Тычковка, Сараи, Потаскуй: из истории тюменских окраин XIX–начала XX вв. Тюмень, 2002. С. 249–258.
Based on the Presidential Library’s materials: