Birth of Evgeny Vasilyevich Bodganovich, Military, Political and Church Leader, Writer, the First Honourary Citizen of Tyumen

Evgeny Vasilyevich Bogdanovich was born on February 26 (March 10), 1829 in the city of Nikolayev, in the family of a participant in the Patriotic War of 1812. His father came from an old family of Kherson Governorate.

Evgeny Bogdanovich began his service in 1843 as a Gardes-Marine, and then as a michman in the Black Sea Fleet. Due to seasickness, he was forced to leave the Navy and from 1851 became an ensign-adjutant to the Novorossiysk Governor General.

Evgeny Vasilyevich Bogdanovich made a successful career in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. He made a significant contribution to the organization of fire brigades throughout Russia. Since 1861, with the rank of colonel, at the suggestion of the Minister of Internal Affairs P. A. Valuyev, he investigated the state of the fire and insurance units in the governorates, promoted the organization of public fire brigades, regional mutual fire insurance societies, and the installation of water pipes. In addition, he founded the school of fire chiefs and the Blue Cross Society, which worked with the Imperial Russian Fire Society.

Evgeny Vasilyevich had the idea of building a number of railways. With his assistance, the Catherine Railway was built, and a bridge across the Dnieper in Yekaterinoslav was erected. In 1866, Bogdanovich telegraphed to P. A. Valueyv about the need to build a railway “from the inner governorates to Yekaterinburg and further to Tyumen”, “which could subsequently be laid to the Chinese border and gain important strategic and international commercial significance”. This was the beginning of the history of the Trans-Siberian Railway, also known as the Great Siberian Route. In 1868-1869, a detailed plan for the construction of the Kazan–Yekaterinburg–Tyumen road was developed. In November 1867, Tyumen residents expressed their gratitude to the author of the railway construction project, awarding Evgeny Bogdanovich the title of Honourary Citizen of Tyumen. His name was immortalized in the name of one of the junction stations near Yekaterinburg – Bogdanovich. In 1891, the Russian Technical Society published the works of Evgeny Bogdanovich on the design, construction and operation of the Ural-Siberian Railway.

While serving in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Evgeny Bogdanovich studied facts related to the causes of revolutionary unrest in society. For twenty years, being on business trips on errands, he was able to study “a lot in the public and private life of the population”. In 1874, Bogdanovich toured a number of governorates in order to establish river police, and at the same time presented to the Minister of Internal Affairs, Adjutant General A. E. Timashev, a special note on signs of political ferment. A report on the same topic, On the Mood of Minds in Some Segments of the Population, was compiled by him in February 1880 under the Minister of Internal Affairs M. T. Loris-Melikov and sent for consideration to the Supreme Administrative Commission. A note of similar content with a cover letter was also sent to the Chief Prosecutor of the Synod, K. P. Pobedonostsev. The list of measures proposed for the prevention of ferment included: allocation of funds for the development of handicrafts in the village; expansion of “useful” industries; opening of public works.

On March 25, 1888, Evgeny Vasilyevich Bogdanovich was promoted to Privy Councilor and appointed a member of the Council of the Minister of Internal Affairs. In the last six years of Alexander III’s life, he was awarded the Star of the Order of the White Eagle and received the Highest Commendation seven times for his journalistic activities. Bogdanovich finished his service with the rank of General of Infantry, the Knight of the Order of St. Anna, 2nd degree, and Order of St. Alexander Nevsky.

The public and journalistic activity of Evgeny Bogdanovich is also noteworthy. His publications include such books, as Navarin, Sinop, The Guard of the Russian Tsar on the Sofia Road, The Shooters of the Imperial Family, Russia in the Far East, and others. In the historiography of the Russian navy, Bogdanovich’s works Navarin and Sinop are considered classic.

Evgeny Vasilyevich Bogdanovich was a deeply religious man. In 1878, he was elected headman of St. Isaac’s Cathedral. He stayed in this rank for six years, and during these years, he established the publication of the famous Rostrum of St. Isaac’s Cathedral, where preachers discussed and interpreted the events of public life, as well as explained Christian teaching.

Bogdanovich’s beliefs were Orthodox-monarchical and conservative. According to the monarchist, and formerly narodovolets L. A. Tikhomirov, “in general, in politics he was simple: we need a Tsar who cares about the people; the people are honest, hardworking, religious, loving the Tsar; we need order, we need to respect the authorities; but we also need to take care of the welfare of the people”. The general sincerely revered Emperor Nicholas II. Evgeny Bogdanovich is known as the organizer of the largest legal monarchical salon held in his house.

Evgeny Vasilyevich Bogdanovich died on September 1 (14), 1914 in Yalta. According to contemporaries, thousands of people from St. Petersburg and other Russian cities came to see the general off on his last journey. He was buried at the Nikolsky Cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. His grave has not been preserved to this day.

Lit.: Баикина А. И. К биографии почетного гражданина г. Тюмени Евгения Васильевича Богдановича // Словцовские чтения-2007: материалы XIX Всероссийской научной краеведческой конференции. Тюмень, 2007. С. 55–57; Белов С. Л. За Урал пришла железная дорога // Мое достояние. Тюмень 425. Тюмень, 2011. С. 105–107; Богданович Евгений Васильевич // Ермаков И. Почетные граждане города Тюмени (1867–1995). Екатеринбург, 1996. С. 11–13; В помощь краеведу: материалы к календарю знаменательных и памятных дат Тюменской области на 2014 г. Тюмень, 2013. С. 15–16; Дубовская Е. Врата Сибири // Сибирское богатство. 2018. № 6. С. 22–25; Копылов В. Е. Богданович Евгений Васильевич // Большая Тюменская энциклопедия. Т. 1: А–З. Тюмень, 2004. С. 172; Шигин В. Предисловие // Богданович Е. В. Две великие победы русского флота. Наварин и Синоп. М., 2019. С. 3–28.

Based on the Presidential Library's materials:   

Богданович Е. В. Наср-Эддин шах и его выезд в Россию в 1873 году. СПб., 1873

Богданович Е. В. Синоп. 18 ноября 1853 года. [Санкт-Петербург], [1878]

Богданович Е. В. Стрелки императорской фамилии: исторический очерк. СПб., 1881

Богданович Е. В. Гвардия русского царя на Софийской дороге 12 октября 1877 г. СПб., 1886

Богданович Е. В. Царь-освободитель: русскому Народу на память. СПб., 1898

Богданович Е. В. 1812 год. [СПб., 1912]

Богданович Е. В. Трехсотлетие державному дому Романовых, 1613-1913. СПб., [1913]

Богданович Е. В. Проект Сибирско-Уральской железной дороги. [Санкт-Петербург], 1868 (Available in the Electronic Reading Room)

Богданович Е. В. Безгранична милость русского царя; [из воспоминаний о путешествии государя императора по Кавказу в 1850 году]… СПб., 1902 (Available in the Electronic Reading Room)

Богданович Е. В. Пятидесятилетие освобождения крестьян. СПб., 1911 (Available in the Electronic Reading Room)

Based on the article of the Tyumen Region Branch of the Presidential Library