Makarov, Alexander Semenovich

Born in about 1750, comes from the Makarov family . In 1786, he was promoted to court adviser and became secretary to the Governor General of Riga, Brown Iurie . After some time, transferred to St. Petersburg and worked under Sheshkovsky , who immediately liked Makarov. In 1791, he was a college adviser . In May, Stepan Ivanovich dies and the Secret Expedition passes into the hands of Makarov, who immediately begins to deal with the documentation. Soon, on the initiative of Alexander Semenovich, the repair of places of detention is carried out.

In 1796, Catherine II dies and Pavel Petrovich ascends the throne. On November 8, the new emperor received an order: “to keep in custody on business, before a secret expedition related, to build a house with convenience for keeping in the fortress,” and the Secret expedition is transferred to the Alekseevsky ravelin of the Peter and Paul Fortress ^[1] . At the same time, the Secret House begins to be built - a stone one-story prison with twenty cells. In December 1796, Makarov visited the Kexholm Fortress , where the family of Yemelyan Pugachev was kept. General A. P. Ermolov calls Makarov “honest and decent,” because the latter, unlike his predecessor, had the ability to win over his bosses and state criminals. Alexander Semenovich also liked the authorities, so in 1798 he became a full-time state adviser , and in 1800 he was appointed senator with an increase in rank to secret adviser and, together with other senators ( Zakharov I.S. , Pushchin P.I. , Salagov S.I. ) against the conversion of the senate. January 25, 1801, shortly before his death, Paul the First produces Makarov in the nobility.

In March of the same year , Paul the First was killed , unlike the immediate superior Obolyaninov , Makarov continued to work until April 14, 1801, after which the Secret Expedition was abolished by the new Emperor Alexander the First . Alexander Semenovich is a member of the Commission for the Review of Previous Criminal Cases. Of the 700 people who were on business from the old ruler, 400 were freed. In 1807, Makarov became a member of the General Security Committee, which counteracts the activities of Masons and French spies. Makarov begins the new work as if it were the old one and does not miss more than one meeting until February 1809, when his health deteriorated extremely ^[2] . January 26, 1810 Makarov died in St. Petersburg. ^[3]

• Order of St. Vladimir 4th degree (April 21, 1790) ^[4] .
• Order of St. Anne 1st degree (May 29, 1799) ^[4] .
• The Order of St. John of Jerusalem Honorary Commander (January 1, 1801) ^[4] .

• Gernet M.N. History of the imperial prison. 3rd ed. M., 1960. T. 1;
• Sevastyanov F. L. Senator A. S. Makarov - Head of the "Higher Police" of Russia in the late XVIII - early XIX centuries. // New sentinel . 1999. No. 8/9.