Ivan Ivanovich Nepliuev

Born Nov. 5 (15), 1693, in the village of Poddub’e, in what is now Novgorod Oblast; died there Nov. 11 (22), 1773. Russian state figure.

Of poor Novgorod gentry origins, Nepliuev enrolled in a Novgorod mathematical school in 1714, and later in the St. Petersburg Naval Academy. He continued his studies in Venice and Spain. In 1720 he returned to Russia, and his performance on an examination earned him Peter the Great’s commendation; Nepliuev was appointed chief commanding officer of the naval vessels under construction in St. Petersburg. From 1721 to 1734 he was minister plenipotentiary in Constantinople. From 1742 to 1758 he served as namestnik (vicegerent) of Orenburg Krai. He became a senator in 1760. He wrote his memoirs The Life of Ivan Ivanovich Nepliuev, In His Own Words (1893).