In 1903, the Maritime Charitable Society—operating under the August patronage of Her Imperial Highness Grand Duchess Ksenia Alexandrovna—published a stunningly beautiful 326-page book: *Album of City Mayors of the Russian Empire*. In addition to a brief overview of the development of municipal self-government, the album featured a vast number of biographies and photographs of these very same city mayors. Thus, the book is undoubtedly unique as a historical source.
In the book itself, you can find, among other things, information about the mayors of the Kharkiv Governorate or about those whose lives or work were connected to our beloved city.
Pyotr Ivanovich Lizogubov,
Hereditary Honorary Citizen, Mayor of Chuhuiv.Pyotr Ivanovich has held the office of mayor of Chuhuiv continuously since 1883; prior to that election, he served as a member of the City Council and acting mayor from 1874 to 1879. In 1895, he was sent by the Duma to St. Petersburg to head a commission appointed by order of the Minister of Transportation to examine the feasibility of routing the Kharkiv–Balashov Railway through Chuhuiv. As mayor, P. I. had the honor of welcoming His Imperial Majesty the Emperor to his city on one occasion. Among the city’s buildings constructed between 1883 and 1903, the boys’ and girls’ municipal schools, four parish schools, and the fire tower are particularly noteworthy.
In addition, P. I. serves as honorary superintendent of the city’s boys’ school, trustee of the parish schools, and chairman of the Chuhuiv Board of Trustees for the Poor.
Konstantin Frantskevich Ralph,
nobleman, mayor of Bilopillya.After serving three years as mayor by appointment of the Kharkiv governor, Konstantin Frantsevich was elected to this office by the Duma in February 1902 for a four-year term; In addition, he had been a member of the Duma since 1895, and prior to that had served as a bailiff for 12 years.
While K. F. was mayor, the city purchased a private house, which was converted into a two-class model school; a chapel was added to it, and kerosene street lighting was installed throughout the city. K. F. serves as chairman of the society for the relief of the poor in Bilopillya, which was established at his request, as well as on the local Orphans’ Court; in addition, he is the honorary trustee of the two-class model school.
Viktor Pavlovich Tregubov,
a hereditary nobleman, State Councilor, and mayor of Poltava.
Viktor Pavlovich began his career in 1867 as a candidate for judicial office at the Kharkiv Judicial Chamber; from 1870 to 1889, he served as a district justice of the peace; and since 1889, he has served as mayor of Poltava and honorary justice of the peace. As a representative of the city, V. P. participated in a conference organized by the Ministry of Finance regarding the locations of stations on the Kyiv–Poltava railway.During his tenure as mayor, a municipal water system was installed, military barracks were built, as well as buildings for public reading rooms, a public library, and a museum, and electric lighting was introduced. In addition, V. P. serves as chairman of the Public Reading Commission, the Committee on Physical Development and Education of Children, and the Council for the Care of the Poor; he is a member of numerous charitable societies and an honorary trustee of the Alexandrovsky School.
Ivan Alekseevich Popov,
State Counselor, Mayor of Mariupol.Ivan Alekseevich, elected mayor in 1893, has now served in this position for his third four-year term. From 1875 to 1879, he served in the judicial branch at the Kharkiv and Odessa district courts; from 1879 onward, he served for three years as a district justice of the peace; from 1883 to the present, he has been an honorary justice of the peace for the Mariupol County; and since 1884, he has been a member of the City Duma.
During I. A.’s tenure as mayor, buildings were constructed for the boys’ gymnasium, a city hospital, and three elementary schools; a dredging machine with two barges for hauling away soil and a tugboat for dredging operations in the Port of Mariupol were purchased; and a pile barrier was installed in that port. In addition, he serves as chairman of the A. D. Kharadkhaev Almshouse and as a member of other local charitable organizations.
Vladimir Ivanovich Verbovsky,
State Councilor, Mayor of Luhansk.
Vladimir Ivanovich has served as mayor of Luhansk since 1889—that is, for his fourth four-year term. Prior to this election, he served as a candidate for judicial positions at the Kharkiv District Court, acting as assistant secretary of the Civil Division. In addition, he served as a councilor of the City Duma and, from 1884 to the present, as an honorary justice of the peace. He currently serves as a trustee of the zemstvo hospital and the Illyrian Public School, and as a member of the Board of Trustees of the girls’ junior high school.During V. I.’s tenure as mayor, the following construction projects were initiated and completed: three blocks of market stalls on the market square, the city almshouse, a building to house the Duma and the City Council, and an addition to the boys’ gymnasium; in addition, construction of the Pushkin City School was begun, and several city streets were paved.
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