Procurator-General

the highest civil servant in the government of tsarist Russia. Responsible for checking the legality of the activities of the machinery of state, the procurator-general was also head of the Senate. The office was created in January 1722.

The supervisory function of the procurator-general was implemented by his subordinates, the procurators and government inspectors. After the death of Peter I (1725) the office of procurator-general lost its importance. However, it temporarily regained its status between 1740 and 1741. With the establishment of ministries in 1802, the procurator-general became the minister of justice as well. The significance of the procurator-general declined, although he remained head of the Senate and the entire governmental supervisory system. The office of procurator-general was abolished after the February Revolution of 1917.