Prince Dmitry Petrovich Maksutov (russian: Дми́трий Петро́вич Максу́тов, May 10, 1832 – March 21, 1889) was an

Imperial Russian Navy The Imperial Russian Navy () operated as the navy of the Russian Tsardom and later the Russian Empire from 1696 to 1917. Formally established in 1696, it lasted until dissolved in the wake of the February Revolution of 1917. It developed from ...

rear-admiral who was the last Governor of

Russian America Russian America (russian: Русская Америка, Russkaya Amerika) was the name for the Russian Empire's colonial possessions in North America from 1799 to 1867. It consisted mostly of present-day Alaska in the United States, but a ...

(1863–1867). He has streets dedicated to his memory in

Sitka russian: Ситка , native_name_lang = tli , settlement_type = Consolidated city-borough , image_skyline = File:Sitka 84 Elev 135.jpg , image_caption = Downtown Sitka in 1984 , image_size ...

and

Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky ( rus, Петропавловск-Камчатский, a=Петропавловск-Камчатский.ogg, p=pʲɪtrɐˈpavləfsk kɐmˈtɕatskʲɪj) is a city and the administrative, industrial, scientific, and cultu ...

. Maksutov was born in the city of

Perm Perm or PERM may refer to: Places *Perm, Russia, a city in Russia ** Permsky District, the district **Perm Krai, a federal subject of Russia since 2005 **Perm Oblast, a former federal subject of Russia 1938–2005 **Perm Governorate, an administra ...

. In 1840, he enrolled in Naval Cadets Corps, which he graduated in 1847 in the rank of naval cadet. Maksutov was promoted to the rank of lieutenant in March 1851, was assigned to the 46th division and left for the

Russian Far East The Russian Far East (russian: Дальний Восток России, r=Dal'niy Vostok Rossii, p=ˈdalʲnʲɪj vɐˈstok rɐˈsʲiɪ) is a region in Northeast Asia. It is the easternmost part of Russia and the Asian continent; and is admin ...

. As the

Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the ...

broke out, he was transferred to Petropavlovsk in June 1854. Dmitry and his two brothers—

Pavel Pavel ( Bulgarian, Russian, Serbian and Macedonian: Павел, Czech, Slovene, Romanian: Pavel, Polish: Paweł, Ukrainian: Павло, Pavlo) is a male given name. It is a Slavic cognate of the name Paul (derived from the Greek Pavlos). P ...

and Alexander—took part in the war. Pavel Maksutov served in the Black Sea Fleet and was on board the battleship ''Paris'' during the

Battle of Sinop The Battle of Sinop, or the Battle of Sinope, was a naval battle that took place on 30 November 1853 between Imperial Russia and the Ottoman Empire, during the opening phase of the Crimean War (1853–1856). It took place at Sinop, a sea port o ...

, while Alexander and Dmitry took part in the defense of Petropavlovsk during the siege of Petropavlovsk. Dmitry Maksutov commanded the legendary cannon battery No. 2, while his brother Alexander commanded the battery No. 3. After the battle, both were awarded with the cross of

Order of St. George The Order of Saint George (russian: Орден Святого Георгия, Orden Svyatogo Georgiya) is the highest military decoration of the Russian Federation. Originally established on 26 November 1769 Julian (7 December 1769 Gregorian) a ...

of the 4th degree (posthumously for Alexander Maksutov). In 1859, Prince Dmitry Maksutov came to

to work for the

Russian-American Company The Russian-American Company Under the High Patronage of His Imperial Majesty (russian: Под высочайшим Его Императорского Величества покровительством Российская-Американс� ...

. At the beginning he was Assistant to the Governor

Johan Hampus Furuhjelm Johan Hampus Furuhjelm, (russian: Фуругельм, Иван Васильевич; 11 March 1821 – 21 September 1909) was a Finnish-Russian vice-admiral and explorer, commander of the Russian Baltic Fleet, Governor of the Russian Far East, ...

, whom he succeeded at the helm of the company in March 1864. After the

Alaska purchase The Alaska Purchase (russian: Продажа Аляски, Prodazha Alyaski, Sale of Alaska) was the United States' acquisition of Alaska from the Russian Empire. Alaska was formally transferred to the United States on October 18, 1867, through a ...

, the Russian Imperial flag was lowered, and the Star-Spangled Banner was raised on October 6, 1867. Maksutov was Russian America's last governor. He stayed in what became renamed Alaska for one more year, serving as Russian consul in Sitka and was in charge of the emigration of remaining Russians. In 1869, Maksutov turned over his duties to Fyodor Koskul and returned to Russia. He served at various commercial vessels and was promoted to the rank of counter-admiral on May 17, 1882 (the day of his resignation). He died in St. Petersburg on March 21, 1889, and was buried at Novodevichy Cemetery.

In Fiction

Prince Maksutov is a key character in Act I of the novel ''Forty-Ninth'' by Boris Pronsky and Craig Britton.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maksutov, Dmitry Petrovich 1832 births 1889 deaths People from Perm, Russia People from Permsky Uyezd Russian princes Imperial Russian Navy admirals Explorers from the Russian Empire Governors of the Russian-American Company Russian military personnel of the Crimean War Burials at Novodevichy Cemetery (Saint Petersburg) Naval Cadet Corps alumni

In Fiction

See also

References