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.

Biography

Otto von Pfeilitzer-Franck was christened on February 29, 1788 ( Old Style), 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 who ...

, 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 Poni ...

of 3rd degree. During Napoleon's invasion of Russia Otto von Pfeilitzer-Franck participated at the

Battle of Borodino The Battle of Borodino (). took place near the village of Borodino on during Napoleon's invasion of Russia. The ' won the battle against the Imperial Russian Army but failed to gain a decisive victory and suffered tremendous losses. Napoleon ...

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 Baptizer ...

of 4th degree, also at the Battle of Brienne and

Battle of La Rothiere A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

for which he received an Order of St. Anna 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 and aide-de-camp to Russian general Count

Mikhail Semyonovich Vorontsov Prince Mikhail Semyonovich Vorontsov (russian: Князь Михаи́л Семёнович Воронцо́в, tr. ; ) was a Russian nobleman and field-marshal, renowned for his success in the Napoleonic wars and most famous for his participati ...

Further military career

August 1, 1816 von Pfeilitzer-Franck was assigned to a dragoon regiment in Tver, and in December 1817 to

Leib Guards The Russian Imperial Guard, officially known as the Leib Guard (russian: Лейб-гвардия ''Leyb-gvardiya'', from German language, German ''Leib'' "body"; cf. Lifeguard (military), Life Guards / Bodyguard) were military units serving as ...

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 Novorossiysk ( rus, Новоросси́йск, p=nəvərɐˈsʲijsk; ady, ЦIэмэз, translit=Chəməz, p=t͡sʼɜmɜz) is a city in Krasnodar Krai, Russia. It is one of the largest ports on the Black Sea. It is one of the few cities hono ...

, Count

, and assigned as Rittmeister to

of uhlan 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 Bessarabia (; Gagauz: ''Besarabiya''; Romanian: ''Basarabia''; Ukrainian: ''Бессара́бія'') is a historical region in Eastern Europe, bounded by the Dniester river on the east and the Prut river on the west. About two thirds of Be ...

. This was the time of a plague 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 Kherson (, ) is a port city of 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 appr ...

and

Odessa Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrativ ...

, fighting the cholera epidemic. House of Pfeilizer-Frank

August 12, 1831 Baron Otto von Pfeilitzer-Franck was appointed Governor (civil) of Yekaterinoslav, and on June 4, 1832 - Governor of Taganrog. The Taganrog Government at that moment comprised the cities of Rostov on Don, Nakhichevan and Mariupol. He was also appointed as the chief administrator (''главный попечитель'') of the merchant vessels' navigation in the

Azov Sea The Sea of Azov ( Crimean Tatar: ''Azaq deñizi''; russian: Азовское море, Azovskoye more; uk, Азовське море, Azovs'ke more) is a sea in Eastern Europe connected to the Black Sea by the narrow (about ) Strait of Kerch, ...

, and head of the Taganrog Customs district. In 1834 he was awarded with an Order of St. Anna of 1st degree. He remained at all of these posts until October 20, 1843, when he gave his resignation. * note: all dates mentioned are Old Style.

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

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