Honorary Citizen of St. Petersburg

Categories / Social Life/Social Organizations and Unions
HONORARY CITIZEN OF ST. PETERSBURG, an honorary title conferred on people who made a considerable contribution to the development of the city. In 1866-1908, 7 persons were conferred this title (the conferring didn"t entail any material privileges or benefits). Candidatures were discussed at the sessions of the City Duma and were approved by the emperor. "Kostroma Bourgeois" O.I. Komissarov became the first Honorary Citizen of St. Petersburg in 1866; according to the official version, he saved the life of emperor Alexander II from D.V. Karakozov"s assassination attempt. The second person to be conferred the title was the USA ambassador Gustav Fox (awarded the same year) who had presented emperor Alexander II with the Senate resolution expressing sympathy for the "miraculous salvation" of the latter. In 1879 the title was given to mayor N.I. Pogrebov and hero of the Russo-Turkish war of 1877-78 General F.F. Radetsky, as well as to traveller N.M. Przhevalsky in 1881, Prince A. P. Oldenburg in 1899, publisher M.M. Stasyulevich in 1908. In 1903, Honorary citizens of St. Petersburg gained the right to attend the City Duma sessions with the right of deliberative vote (sometimes with full voting rights). The first person to be awarded the title of "Honorary citizen of St. Petersburg" after a long interval was D.S. Likhachev in 1993. In 1994 by order of St. Petersburg Mayor the title was given to O.F. Bergholz (posthumously), mountain-climber M.M. Bobrov, Hero of the Soviet Union V.N. Kharitonov, patriarch Alexy II, skier L.I. Egorova. The decree of St. Petersburg government confirmed the giving of the title to actor K.Y. Lavrov and poet I. A. Brodsky in 1995. In 1995 the Law “On Honorary Citizens of St. Petersburg" was adopted (subsequently amended), according to which only two persons could receive the title on each given year (the title is given by the St. Petersburg Legislative Assembly). Among Honorary citizens of St. Petersburg are such eminent figures as actor E.A. Lebedev, sculptor M.K. Anikushin, ballet dancer N.M. Dudinskaya, composer A.P. Petrov, coach V.P. Kondrashin, two-time Hero of the Soviet Union A.E. Mazurenko, singer I.P. Bogacheva, Members of the Academy Z.I. Alferov and I.D. Spassky, trainer, artist and sculptor Y.S. Tyukalov. 19 persons altogether were conferred the title of the Honorary Citizen of St. Petersburg in 1993-2002.

References: Книга почетных граждан Санкт-Петербурга, 1993-2002. СПб., 2002; Машков В. А. Почетные граждане Санкт-Петербурга//Невский архив: Ист.-краевед. сб. Спб., 2003. [Вып.] 6. С. 306 - 333.

M. G. Khugayeva. Alexander II, Emperor
Alexy II (Ridiger Alexey Mikhailovich), Patriarch
Alferov Zhores Ivanovich
Anikushin Mikhail Konstantinovich
Bergholz Olga Fedorovna
Bobrov Mikhail Mikhailovich
Bogacheva Irina Petrovna
Brodsky Iosif Alexandrovich
Dudinskaya Natalia Mikhailovna
Egorova Lyubov Ivanovna
Fox Gustavus Vasa
Karakozov Dmitry Vladimirovich
Kharitonov Vasily Nikolaevich
Komissarov Osip Ivanovich
Kondrashin Vladimir Petrovich
Lavrov Kirill Yurievich
Lebedev Evgeny Alexeevich
Likhachev Dmitry Sergeevich
Mazurenko Alexey Efimovich
Oldenburgsky Alexander Petrovich, Prince
Petrov Andrey Pavlovich
Pogrebov Nikolay Ivanovich
Przhevalsky Nikolay Mikhailovich
Radetsky Fedor Fedorovich
Spassky Igor Dmitrievich
Stasyulevich Mikhail Matveevich
Tyukalov Yury Sergeevich
Книга почетных граждан Санкт-Петербурга, 1993 - 2002. СПб.
Кручина-Богданов В. Почетным можешь ты не быть, но гражданином быть обязан // С.-Петерб. панорама, 1997 City Duma
Senate
Legislative Assembly