On the 275th anniversary of the birth of A. N. Radishchev

On the 275th anniversary of the birth of A.N. Radishchev

In the 1770s–1780s A.N. Radishchev served in the Commercial Collegium. He won the affection and favor of the President of the Commercial Collegium, Alexander Romanovich Vorontsov, as an intelligent, businesslike, honest, and incorruptible official with excellent knowledge of jurisprudence, which was important in customs work. A.R. Vorontsov, under whose leadership Radishchev served, was an independent-minded and educated man, belonging to a well-known and wealthy family. Radishchev’s patron sought no favors from anyone and was known at court as a sullen man. He valued people for their professional qualities, intellect, and honesty, and therefore befriended Radishchev.

On March 30, 1780, at Vorontsov’s recommendation, Radishchev became a member of the St. Petersburg Treasury Chamber as an assistant to G. Yu. Dal, advisor on customs affairs for the St. Petersburg Governorate. Alexander Nikolaevich actively participated in resolving most matters: drafting instructions, tariffs, registers and reviews of reports on the state of trade in other governorates, proposals to the Port Customs, handling conflict situations, combating smuggling, embezzlement and bribery, and establishing business relations with other customs offices and foreign merchants. In the course of his duties he frequently traveled to various towns in the governorate.

Radishchev often stood in for Dal during his absences. On December 18, 1780, Radishchev received the rank of Court Councillor; on November 24, 1783 — Collegiate Councillor; and in 1784 he was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir, 4th class. In a letter dated July 8, 1784, Vorontsov wrote to Dal: "I am very pleased to see from your letter that you are satisfied with Alexander Nikolaevich; you know how much I love him and take an interest in everything concerning him."

After Herman Dal’s death, the Senate by decree of April 5, 1790, appointed Radishchev as advisor on customs affairs of the St. Petersburg Treasury Chamber, but he was not confirmed in this post due to his arrest. According to Radishchev’s son, "while heading the customs of the St. Petersburg Governorate, he could have amassed millions, but he amassed nothing and left his children only a small parental inheritance and an honorable name."

Radishchev’s service is an ideal of civil devotion to the Fatherland, expressed in total dedication to duty. Unsurprisingly, the Russian Customs Service has erected a monument to the incorruptible official A.N. Radishchev at the Volkov Cemetery in Saint Petersburg.

Radishchev’s library included numerous works in French and German on economics, trade, and law. He himself compiled a number of notes on customs issues. Radishchev’s studies of Russian history date to the 1780s. His extracts from the "Chronicle of Nestor" (1767), V. N. Tatishchev’s "History of Russia" (1769–1773, Vols. 1–2), and G. F. Miller’s article "A Brief Account of the Founding of Novgorod..." (1761), supplemented with some of his own comments, have been preserved. These materials were used in Radishchev’s unfinished work "Essay on Legislation," on which he worked in 1782–1790, and also in the chapter "Novgorod" of "A Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow."

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