Aleksey Kirillovich Alchevsky (russian: Алексей Кириллович Алчевский,

Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...

: Олексій Кирилович Алчевський,

romanized Romanization or romanisation, in linguistics, is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, and ...

: ''Oleksii Kyrylovych Alchevskyi''; 1835,

Sumy Sumy ( uk, Суми ) is a city of regional significance in Ukraine, and the capital of Sumy Oblast. The city is situated on the banks of the Psel River in northeastern Ukraine with a population of according to the 2021 census, making it the 2 ...

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

– 1901,

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

) was a Ukrainian-born entrepreneur during Russian empire, philanthropist, and industrialist. He was a pioneer in establishing the first finance group in

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

and creator of several banks and industrial societies in

Sloboda Ukraine Sloboda Ukraine (literally: Borderland of free frontier guards; uk, Слобідська Україна, Slobidska Ukraina), or Slobozhanshchyna ( uk, Слобожанщина, Slobozhanshchyna, ), is a historical region, now located in Northeas ...

. His role in the development of Russian industry was so important that in 1903 the city

Alchevsk Alchevsk ( uk, Алчéвськ, translit. ''Alchevs'k''; russian: Алчéвск) is a city of significance in the Luhansk Oblast of Ukraine. It is located approximately from the oblast capital, Luhansk. Alchevsk is one of the largest indus ...

Donbass The Donbas or Donbass (, ; uk, Донба́с ; russian: Донба́сс ) is a historical, cultural, and economic region in eastern Ukraine. Parts of the Donbas are controlled by Russian separatist groups as a result of the Russo-Ukrai ...

(eastern

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

) was named in his honor.

Biography

Born in

Kharkov Governorate The Kharkov Governorate ( pre-reform Russian: , tr. ''Khárkovskaya gubérniya'', IPA: �xarʲkəfskəjə ɡʊˈbʲernʲɪjə ) was a governorate of the Russian Empire founded in 1835. It embraced the historical region of Sloboda Ukraine. From ...

(

) in a family of small grocery merchant held of

cossacks, Alchevsky graduated the

Sumy County School Sumy ( uk, Суми ) is a City of regional significance (Ukraine), city of regional significance in Ukraine, and the capital of Sumy Oblast. The city is situated on the banks of the Psel River in northeastern Ukraine with a population of accord ...

and in 1862 moved to

Kharkiv Kharkiv ( uk, wikt:Харків, Ха́рків, ), also known as Kharkov (russian: Харькoв, ), is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine.Taras Shevchenko Taras Hryhorovych Shevchenko ( uk, Тарас Григорович Шевченко , pronounced without the middle name; – ), also known as Kobzar Taras, or simply Kobzar (a kobzar is a bard in Ukrainian culture), was a Ukraine, Ukrainian p ...

and belonged to

Hromada A hromada ( uk, територіальна громада, lit=territorial community, translit=terytorialna hromada) is a basic unit of administrative division in Ukraine, similar to a municipality. It was established by the Government of Ukra ...

movement. While keeping own tea store, Alchevsky continued self-education. During the so-called banking fever in Russia at the end of 1860s and beginning of 1870s, Alchevsky became initiator in creating the Kharkov Mutual Society (1866). Later in 1868 as a merchant of the 2nd Guild he became one of the founders of the Kharkov Trade Bank with principal capital of 500,000 rubles becoming the third commerce bank in Russia after the Saint Petersburg Private Commerce Bank and the Moscow Merchant Bank. In 1871 Alchevsky as a merchant of the 1st Guild became one of founders (along with

Ivan Vernadsky Ivan () is a Slavic male given name, connected with the variant of the Greek name (English: John) from Hebrew meaning 'God is gracious'. It is associated worldwide with Slavic countries. The earliest person known to bear the name was Bulgari ...

, a father of

Vladimir Vernadsky Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky (russian: link=no, Влади́мир Ива́нович Верна́дский) or Volodymyr Ivanovych Vernadsky ( uk, Володи́мир Іва́нович Верна́дський; – 6 January 1945) was ...

) of the first in the country mortgage lending bank, the Kharkov Land Bank with principal capital of 1,000,000 rubles. Alchevsky was a chairman of the bank until his death in 1901. In 1879 Alchevsky established the Alekseyevskoye Mining Society (principal capital 2,000,000 rubles) that possessed the richest deposits of

anthracite Anthracite, also known as hard coal, and black coal, is a hard, compact variety of coal that has a submetallic luster. It has the highest carbon content, the fewest impurities, and the highest energy density of all types of coal and is the hig ...

coal in Slovianoserbsk county (

Yekaterinoslav Governorate The Yekaterinoslav Governorate (russian: Екатеринославская губерния, Yekaterinoslavskaya guberniya; uk, Катеринославська губернія, translit=Katerynoslavska huberniia) or Government of Yekaterinos ...

). In 1900 the company extracted some 45 million

pood ''Pood'' ( rus, пуд, r=pud, p=put, plural: or ) is a unit of mass equal to 40 ''funt'' (, Russian pound). Since 1899 it is set to approximately 16.38 kilograms (36.11 pounds). It was used in Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine. ''Pood'' was first ...

s of coal becoming the third company in

Donbas The Donbas or Donbass (, ; uk, Донба́с ; russian: Донба́сс ) is a historical, cultural, and economic region in eastern Ukraine. Parts of the Donbas are controlled by Russian separatist groups as a result of the Russo-Ukrai ...

for coal extraction by volume. Alchevsky also initiated construction of metallurgical factories of the Donets-Yuryevka Metallurgical Society (1895, principal capital 8 million rubles) near train station Yuryevka (today Komunarsk train station in

, Alchevsk Metallurgical Complex)Alchevsk Metallurgical Complex
at the

Encyclopedia of Ukraine The ''Encyclopedia of Ukraine'' ( uk, Енциклопедія українознавства, translit=Entsyklopediia ukrainoznavstva), published from 1984 to 2001, is a fundamental work of Ukrainian Studies. Development The work was creat ...

and the Russian Providence Society near

Mariupol Mariupol (, ; uk, Маріу́поль ; russian: Мариу́поль) is a city in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. It is situated on the northern coast (Pryazovia) of the Sea of Azov, at the mouth of the Kalmius River. Prior to the 2022 Russian i ...

(today part of

Illich Steel and Iron Works Illich Iron & Steel Works (Ukrainian: Маріу́польський металургі́йний комбіна́т і́мені Ілліча́ – literally "Mariupol Metallurgical Plant named after Illich") is the second largest metallurgica ...

). By 1900 his fortune was reaching 30 million rubles. In 1899 along with his wife Khrystyna Zhuravlyova he built the first monument to

Taras Shevchenko Taras Hryhorovych Shevchenko ( uk, Тарас Григорович Шевченко , pronounced without the middle name; – ), also known as Kobzar Taras, or simply Kobzar (a kobzar is a bard in Ukrainian culture), was a Ukraine, Ukrainian p ...

, however due to the anti-Ukrainian Russian policy the monument-

bust Bust commonly refers to: * A woman's breasts * Bust (sculpture), of head and shoulders * An arrest Bust may also refer to: Places * Bust, Bas-Rhin, a city in France *Lashkargah, Afghanistan, known as Bust historically Media * ''Bust'' (magazin ...

was established at a backyard of their personal mansion (built by

Alexei Beketov Alexei Nikolayevich Beketov (russian: Алексей Николаевич Бекетов; 3 March 1862, Kharkov, Russian Empire — 23 November 1941, Kharkov, Ukrainian SSR) was a Russian Imperial and later a Soviet architect, in the Classical st ...

) on Mironosytsky provulok (today Radnarkomivska vulytsia) in

Kharkov Kharkiv ( uk, Ха́рків, ), also known as Kharkov (russian: Харькoв, ), is the second-largest city and municipality in Ukraine.

. The monument was created out of white marble by the Russian sculptor Vladimir Beklemishev. After the death of Aleksey Alchevsky the mansion was sold out and the fate of the monument is unknown. During the 1899-1902 economic crisis when he failed to obtain financial help from the Ministry of Finance, on 20 May 1901 Aleksey Alchevsky jumped under a train at the

Tsarskoselsky railway station St Petersburg-Vitebsky (russian: Ви́тебский вокза́л) is a railway station terminal in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Formerly known as ''St Petersburg-Tsarskoselsky'' station because its first line led to the suburban royal residence ...

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

Family

Alchevsky was married to an educator and

pedagogue Pedagogy (), most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political and psychological development of learners. Pedagogy, taken as ...

Khrystyna Zhuravlyova. They had several children. * Grigory Alchevsky, a composer *

Khrystyna Alchevska Khrystyna Danylivna Alchevska (née russian: Журавлёва, Zhuravlyova; uk, Христина Алчевська) (1841–1920) was a Russian Empire, Russian Imperial and Ukrainian SSR, Ukrainian teacher and a prominent activist for national ...

* Ivan Alchevsky * Anna Alchevskaya * Dmitry Alchevsky, a victim of

Red Terror The Red Terror (russian: Красный террор, krasnyj terror) in Soviet Russia was a campaign of political repression and executions carried out by the Bolsheviks, chiefly through the Cheka, the Bolshevik secret police. It started in lat ...

in Crimea * Nikolay Alchevsky

Legacy

On petition of workers, in 1903 the Yuryevka train station and the workers settlement next to it were renamed into Alchevske (today's city of

References

External links

Oleksiy Alchevsky
at the

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alchevsky, Oleksiy 1835 births 1901 suicides People from Sumy People from Sumskoy Uyezd Ukrainian people in the Russian Empire Hromada (society) members Philanthropists from the Russian Empire Bankers from the Russian Empire Alchevsk Businesspeople from the Russian Empire 19th-century philanthropists Suicides by train Suicides in the Russian Empire 1901 deaths