Sergey Dmitriyevich Urusov

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Sergey Dmitriyevich Urusov (1862–1937) was a Russian politician and administrator known for his liberal views and belief in human rights and the rule of law. He served in several government posts and in the Russian Parliament before and after the 1917 Revolution.

Early life and career
Urusov was born on March 19, 1862, in Spasskoye, into an aristocratic family. He studied at Moscow University, married Sofya Lavrova, and began a career in local administration and farming. He held various regional posts, including tax inspector and leader of the Kaluga nobility, and later moved to Moscow, where he worked in government offices.

Government posts and political work
In 1902 Urusov became Vice Governor of Tambov. He was then appointed Governor of Bessarabia in 1903, where he tried to restore order after the Kishinev pogrom without heavy repression. He served as Governor of Tver from late 1904 to mid-1905. In 1905 he joined the Witte government as a deputy to the Minister of Internal Affairs.

In 1906 Urusov was elected to the First State Duma from Kaluga and joined the Party of Democratic Reforms. He chaired the agrarian commission and spoke boldly in defense of civil equality and against police abuses, a speech praised as historic. After the Duma was dissolved, he was imprisoned in 1908 for signing the Vyborg Manifesto.

He wrote Memoirs of a Russian Governor (begun in 1907), in which he criticized the treatment of Jews under the Tsarist regime. He also served in agricultural and scientific organizations in Moscow and remained a respected administrator.

Revolution, exile, and later life
After the February Revolution of 1917, Urusov briefly joined the Provisional Government as a deputy interior minister but resigned after realizing the government had little chance to succeed. His estate was confiscated in 1917, and he was later drawn into the Red Army as an accountant at the front.

He was imprisoned twice in the late 1910s and early 1920s but was released in May 1920 after agreeing not to participate in political activities. He then worked in various government and research roles related to agriculture, industry, and finance, including work for the Supreme Economic Council and the State Bank.

Death and family
Urusov died in Moscow on September 5, 1937, and was buried at Danilovsky cemetery, though his grave was not preserved. He had a son, Dmitry (an agronomist), and two daughters, Vera and Sophia. His family included notable relatives, such as actress Elena Fadeeva, who was Vera’s daughter.