Alexander Protopopov

Alexander Dmitriyevich Protopopov (Алекса́ндр Дми́триевич Протопо́пов) (December 18, 1866 – October 27, 1918) was a Russian statesman and politician

Early life
Born in Simbirsk, Protopopov was the son of a wealthy member of the nobility who owned extensive land holdings and a textile factory. The young Protopopov attended a cavalry cadet school before studying law. He then became a director of his father's textile plant.

Political career
As a member of the centralist Octobrist Party Protopopov was elected as a delegate to both the Third and Fourth Dumas. He was granted the rank of Marshal of Nobility of the Korsunsk Uezd (1912), and of Simbirsk Gubernia (1916).

Protopopov served as Deputy Speaker of the State Duma 1914-1916 and Minister of the Interior from 16 September 1916 to 28 February 28 of 1917. He was well known to Alexander Fedorovich Kerensky who described him as "handsome, elegant, captivating .... moderately liberal and always pleasant". In 1916 Protopopov led a delegation of Duma members on a good-will tour of Russia's western allies in World War I. On return he met formally with Tsar Nicholas who described him as "a man I like very much". Protopopov had already become acquainted over an extended period with Gregory Rasputin whose influence at the Imperial Court was high. In September 1916 Rasputin urged the Empress Alexandra to have her husband appoint Protopopov as Minister of the Interior. Although impressed by Protopopov's charm, Nicholas was initially doubtful about his suitability for a position that included responsibility for police and food supplies. However the Tsar approved the appointment a few days later.

Although earlier considered fairly liberal, Protopopov saw his new role as that of preserving Tsarist autocracy. He continued the reactionary policies of his predecessor Boris Stürmer, and was supported by the Tsarina who kept him in office despite the mounting protests against him, and the repeated requests for Tsar Nicholas II to dismiss him. The mounting supply problems and political unrest of the winter of 1916/17 proved beyond Protopopov's capabilities to manage.

After the Romanov dynasty fell in the first Russian Revolution of 1917, Protopopov surrendered himself to the new Provisional Government. He was put under arrest and kept in prison until the Bolsheviks executed him in 1918.