Charity Committee of Honored Civil Servants

The Charity Committee of Honored Civil Servants is a charitable institution of the Russian Empire .

It was formed on February 21 ( March 5 ), 1823 , on the model of the Alexander Committee on the Wounded , and one million rubles was allocated from the invalid capital to the foundation of the Committee’s capital, and fees from civil officials who previously went to the invalid capital were turned in its favor ^[1] . The highest decree said: “ ... His Imperial Majesty, being no less grateful to the merits of civil servants, deigned to find it fair that those of them, serving with diligence and losing strength from the labor incurred in the passage of their posts, do not have the means to decent self-content, a new path was opened to various aids ... ” ^[2] This Committee consisted exclusively of state secretaries of His Majesty ^[3] .

The Committee’s most comprehensive reports on pensions to officials, as well as the Committee’s reports on the wounded, went through Count Alexei Andreyevich Arakcheev . By virtue of the decree of November 25, 1824, confirmed in 1827 and 1842, all private amounts accumulated in public places for private collection and not claimed by their owners for 10 years, and from 1830 excessively collected postal income money when receiving money and mail, if they remain unclaimed during the year ^[3] .

In 1859, the Committee of Charity of Honored Civil Servants from the Ministry of War of the Russian Empire was transferred to the Office of His Imperial Majesty . The office of the Committee consisted of a director ^[3] .

According to the current regulations ^[4] , which were based on the rules of December 24, 1830, the Committee’s charity (guardianship) can be used by retired officials of all departments who “ fell into serious and incurable illnesses while serving and have no means of a decent life ” ^{[ 3]} .

The Committee assigned pensions, regardless of length of service, but in accordance with the classes of posts that officials held, and the size of full pensions ranged from 85 to 857 rubles per year. If the salary received by the official by the job exceeded the established salaries of pensions, then he was paid the full amount of the salary. If the official received the pension on a general basis, but in the amount, by the degree of mutilation or the large family, is insufficient, then the Committee made him an allowance in the amount that is necessary to make up the full pension that could be assigned to him from the Committee. Regarding the ranks of the second and third classes entitled to the Committee’s help, the latter, without making any appointments from himself, cast them down to the Highest View ^[3] .

Upon the death of officials under the auspices of the Committee, his charity extends to their widows, children and parents. The committee was subject to the widows and orphans, who, having no right to retire their husbands and fathers, were deprived of the means of subsistence. In addition to the production of pensions, the assistance of the Committee consisted of: lump-sum benefits, in placing orphans in educational institutions, in applying for pensions from the amounts of the state treasury. In known cases, the Committee represented, through the commander of the Imperial Headquarters , about the Most Gracious allowance for the widows of officials and their female orphans not subject to the protection of the Committee ^[3] .

Since 1883, the Committee was in charge of a shelter in St. Petersburg (4 Yaroslavskaya Street ; the Committee’s office ^[2] was also located there) for placement and maintenance in it, in return for the payment of pensions from the Committee, widows of officials, as well as those of adults female orphans, who, due to their painful condition, could not provide themselves with food (see Widow House ). Only those widows and orphans who received at least 100 rubles a year from the Committee’s sums were placed in this shelter; those receiving less than this amount should have paid the missing from their own funds ^[3] .

The findings of the Committee on the provision of assistance did not enter into force other than according to their Highest statement. The Committee’s charity could not be used by officials who were not justified in court or were forgiven according to the most gracious manifestos, as well as “ convicted of bad behavior ” ^[3] .

By January 1, 1894, the capital of the Committee reached 7.008.466 rubles. In 1893, the Committee received 520.594 rubles in income, including interest from the Committee’s capital of 291.254 rubles and 2667 rubles for the surrender of the persons hired by the Committee’s shelter, made from their own funds; 320.567 rubles were spent, including 272.561 rubles for retirement and 21.177 rubles for the maintenance of the shelter ^[3] .

The Committee of Charity of Honored Civil Servants was abolished by the Provisional Government on April 7, 1917, together with the 1st branch under its jurisdiction ^[5] .