Baron Otto Wilhelm Hermann von Pfeilitzer gen. Franck, sometimes referred to as ''Otto Romanovich Franck'' or ''Otto Romanovich Pfeilitzer-Franck'' (russian: Пфейлицер-Франк, Отто Романович, February 29, 1788 – March 9, 1844) was a Russian statesman, the 6th governor of

Taganrog Taganrog ( rus, Таганрог, p=təɡɐnˈrok) is a port city in Rostov Oblast, Russia, on the north shore of the Taganrog Bay in the Sea of Azov, several kilometers west of the mouth of the Don River. Population: History of Taganrog Th ...

Biography

Otto von Pfeilitzer-Franck was christened on February 29, 1788 (

Old Style Old Style (O.S.) and New Style (N.S.) indicate dating systems before and after a calendar change, respectively. Usually, this is the change from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar as enacted in various European countries between 158 ...

), born into the family of Hermann Casimir von Pfeilitzer-Franck and Caroline von Schlippenbach. He was educated at the First Cadet Corps (''Первый кадетский корпус''), which he finished in October, 1806 in the rank of a warrant officer and enrolled into the 8th Yeger regiment (''8-й Егерский полк''), but later in December transferred into the Akhtyrka hussar regiment (''Ахтырский гусарский полк'').

Napoleonic wars

Otto's regiment participated in the 1807 War against

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...

, and the officer was awarded with an

Order of St. Stanislaus The Order of Saint Stanislaus ( pl, Order Św. Stanisława Biskupa Męczennika, russian: Орден Святого Станислава), also spelled Stanislas, was a Polish order of knighthood founded in 1765 by King Stanisław August Ponia ...

of 3rd degree. During

Napoleon's invasion of Russia The French invasion of Russia, also known as the Russian campaign, the Second Polish War, the Army of Twenty nations, and the Patriotic War of 1812 was launched by Napoleon Bonaparte to force the Russian Empire back into the continental block ...

Otto von Pfeilitzer-Franck participated at the Battle of Borodino for which he was awarded with an

Order of St. Vladimir The Imperial Order of Saint Prince Vladimir (russian: орден Святого Владимира) was an Imperial Russian order established on by Empress Catherine II in memory of the deeds of Saint Vladimir, the Grand Prince and the Baptize ...

of 4th degree, also at the

Battle of Brienne The Battle of Brienne (29 January 1814) saw an Imperial French army led by Emperor Napoleon attack Prussian and Russian forces commanded by Prussian Field Marshal Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher. After heavy fighting that went on into the n ...

and Battle of La Rothiere for which he received an

Order of St. Anna The Imperial Order of Saint Anna (russian: Орден Святой Анны; also "Order of Saint Anne" or "Order of Saint Ann") was a Holstein ducal and then Russian imperial order of chivalry. It was established by Karl Friedrich, Duke of Holst ...

of 2nd degree. September 4, 1815 he was promoted to the rank of staff-captain (of cavalry) (штабс-ротмистр) of a corps stationed in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

and aide-de-camp to Russian general Count Mikhail Semyonovich Vorontsov.

Further military career

August 1, 1816 von Pfeilitzer-Franck was assigned to a dragoon regiment in

Tver Tver ( rus, Тверь, p=tvʲerʲ) is a city and the administrative centre of Tver Oblast, Russia. It is northwest of Moscow. Population: Tver was formerly the capital of a powerful medieval state and a model provincial town in the Russian ...

, and in December 1817 to Leib Guards of the dragoon regiment and was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-colonel. July 21, 1822 he was appointed aide-de-camps to Governor-General of Novorossiysk, Count Mikhail Semyonovich Vorontsov, and assigned as Rittmeister to Leib Guards of

uhlan Uhlans (; ; ; ; ) were a type of light cavalry, primarily armed with a lance. While first appearing in the cavalry of Lithuania and then Poland, Uhlans were quickly adopted by the mounted forces of other countries, including France, Russia, Pr ...

regiment; July 14, 1823 was promoted to the rank of colonel by Count Vorontsov.

Government work

February 3, 1829 von Pfeilitzer-Franck was made official for important missions (''чиновник для особых поручений'') by the Governor-General of Novorossiysk and Bessarabia. This was the time of a

plague Plague or The Plague may refer to: Agriculture, fauna, and medicine *Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis'' * An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural) * A pandemic caused by such a disease * A swarm of pe ...

epidemic in the South of Russia, and Baron was charged with the mission of preventing its further spread and complete extinction. In 1830 he was awarded with an

of 1st degree for success in fighting the epidemic, and in 1830 - 1831 he was the president of the preventive committee in Kherson and Odessa, fighting the cholera epidemic. House of Pfeilizer-Frank

August 12, 1831 Baron Otto von Pfeilitzer-Franck was appointed Governor (civil) of

Yekaterinoslav Dnipro, previously called Dnipropetrovsk from 1926 until May 2016, is Ukraine's fourth-largest city, with about one million inhabitants. It is located in the eastern part of Ukraine, southeast of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on the Dnieper Rive ...

, and on June 4, 1832 - Governor of

. The Taganrog Government at that moment comprised the cities of

Rostov on Don Rostov-on-Don ( rus, Ростов-на-Дону, r=Rostov-na-Donu, p=rɐˈstof nə dɐˈnu) is a port city and the administrative centre of Rostov Oblast and the Southern Federal District of Russia. It lies in the southeastern part of the East Eu ...

, Nakhichevan and

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 Russia ...

. He was also appointed as the chief administrator (''главный попечитель'') of the merchant vessels' navigation in the Azov Sea, and head of the Taganrog Customs district. In 1834 he was awarded with an

of 1st degree. He remained at all of these posts until October 20, 1843, when he gave his resignation. * note: all dates mentioned are

Relatives and friends

Otto's brother, Friedrich Otto Karl von Pfeilitzer-Franck (1786-?) was the councillor and a long-time leader of the nobility in the

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

(from February 12, 1838 until 1851). Otto von Pfeilitzer-Franck was acquainted with

Alexander Pushkin Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (; rus, links=no, Александр Сергеевич ПушкинIn pre-Revolutionary script, his name was written ., r=Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin, p=ɐlʲɪkˈsandr sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ˈpuʂkʲɪn, ...

in Odessa, and was mentioned twice in the 2-volume collection of

Pushkin Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (; rus, links=no, Александр Сергеевич ПушкинIn pre-Revolutionary script, his name was written ., r=Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin, p=ɐlʲɪkˈsandr sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ˈpuʂkʲɪn, ...

's letters.''Пушкин.Письма. 1826-1830'', publ. 1928, volume 1, p. 322; vol. 2, p. 440

Citations and notes

References

External links and references

* * History of Taganrog by Pavel Filevskiy, Moscow, 1898 * Taganrog Encyclopedia (Taganrog, 2002) {{DEFAULTSORT:Pfeilitzer-Franck, Otto 1788 births 1844 deaths Russian nobility Russian military personnel of the Napoleonic Wars Politicians of the Russian Empire Governors of Taganrog