Dmitry Leonidovich Horvat ( – 16 May 1937) was a Russian

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

and railway engineer who worked on and led various sections of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

s railways during his career. During the

Russian Civil War The Russian Civil War () was a multi-party civil war in the former Russian Empire sparked by the 1917 overthrowing of the Russian Provisional Government in the October Revolution, as many factions vied to determine Russia's political future. I ...

he became one of the leaders of the

White movement The White movement,. The old spelling was retained by the Whites to differentiate from the Reds. also known as the Whites, was one of the main factions of the Russian Civil War of 1917–1922. It was led mainly by the Right-wing politics, right- ...

, taking control of the

Chinese Eastern Railway The Chinese Eastern Railway or CER (, , or , ''Kitaysko-Vostochnaya Zheleznaya Doroga'' or ''KVZhD''), is the historical name for a railway system in Northeast China (also known as Manchuria). The Russian Empire constructed the line from 1897 ...

Biography

Early life and career

Horvat was born in

Kremenchug Kremenchuk (; , , also spelt Kremenchug, ) is an industrial city in central Ukraine which stands on the banks of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. The city serves as the administrative center of Kremenchuk Raion and Kremenchuk urban hromada within ...

Kremenchugsky Uyezd Kremenchugsky Uyezd (''Кременчугский уезд'') was one of the subdivisions of the Poltava Governorate of the Russian Empire. It was situated in the southern part of the governorate. Its administrative centre was Kremenchug (Kremenchu ...

Poltava Governorate Poltava Governorate was an administrative-territorial unit (''guberniya'') of the Russian Empire. It was officially created in 1802 from the disbanded Little Russia Governorate (1796–1802), Little Russia Governorate and had its capital in Polt ...

on 25 July 1859 to a family of hereditary nobles of the

Kherson Governorate Kherson Governorate, known until 1803 as Nikolayev Governorate, was an administrative-territorial unit ('' guberniya'') of the Russian Empire, with its capital in Kherson. It encompassed in area and had a population of 2,733,612 inhabitants. At t ...

. His father was the magistrate judge Leonid Nikolaevich Horvat, the great-grandson of General

Jovan Horvat Jovan Samuilović Horvat de Kurtič, also referred to as Ivan Horvat ( sr-Cyrl, Јован Самуиловић Хорват de Куртич, also referred to as ; also known as Jovan Horvat ( sr-Cyrl, Јован Хорват), Ivan Khorvat (), I ...

, who founded New Serbia. His mother was Baroness Maria Pilar von Pilhau, one of the daughters of General Karl Pilar von Pilhau and the great-granddaughter of Field Marshal

Mikhail Kutuzov Prince Mikhail Illarionovich Golenishchev-Kutuzov-Smolensky (; – ) was a Field Marshal of the Russian Empire. He served as a military officer and a diplomat under the reign of three Romanov monarchs: Empress Catherine II, and Emperors Paul ...

. In 1875 he entered the Nikolaevsky Engineering School, from which he graduated in 1878 in the 1st category and in the rank of second lieutenant, and was assigned to a . He participated in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78, serving from May to September 1878 in the village of Stefano, regularly making business trips to the engineering part to take gunpowder, electric carriages and other equipment to the city of Ruschuk and other cities. In October 1881, he passed the entrance examinations and entered the junior class of the , where he was expelled two years later due to "domestic circumstances". He would return to his battalion, and worked teaching in the training team at the battalion.

Railway service

In March 1885, Horvat was promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

and in June was assigned to the construction of the Trans-Caspian military railway, having been appointed to the position of official on special assignments under General

Mikhail Annenkov General Mikhail Nikolayevich Annenkov (formerly also transcribed Michael Nicolaivitch Annenkoff; ; 1835 in St. Petersburg – January 21, 1899 in St. Petersburg) was a Russian nobleman, author, military officer, and engineer. An important fig ...

, head of road construction. The Trans-Caspian Military Railway is notable for the fact that it became the first railway in the world, built in a loose sand area. Its construction was initially intended for the strategic needs of the military department of the Russian Empire, but 1899 it was passed to the civilian . The laying of the railway track superstructure was carried out by two railway battalions. As the road was built and stations opened, all posts in the service of the railway's operation, such as track repair, were also performed by the members of these battalions: officers, non-commissioned officers, and privates. Horvat, being a special assignment officer of the construction manager, had to do the work of the foreman, the traveling foreman, and even the locomotive engineer in order to complete and carry out the operation of the railway track in the shortest possible time. Due to his natural talents and exceptional service qualities, he quickly moved in the service, occupied a number of posts. In 1889, when the railway line was built to the city of

Samarkand Samarkand ( ; Uzbek language, Uzbek and Tajik language, Tajik: Самарқанд / Samarqand, ) is a city in southeastern Uzbekistan and among the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities in Central As ...

, he was appointed head of the operating distance of the Samarkand section of the Trans-Caspian military railway. in April 1889 he was promoted to the rank of '' stabs-kapitan'', and in 1894 he was promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

. In 1895, he was assigned to the Ussuri Krai, for the construction of the Ussuri railway, as the head of the 1st Ussuri battalion. In May 1898, promoted to

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

. In September 1896, he was appointed the head of the South Ussuriisk railway, leaving his previous post. In April 1899 he became the Acting Head of the Trans-Caspian Railway. In November 1902, he received an offer to take the post of manager of the then

(CER). In 1903 he became the head of construction, then until April 27, 1918 he was promoted to the manager of the CER. He worked under the Minister of Finance as the head of the department in charge of the CER. In 1904 he was promoted to the rank of Major general, and received seniority on November 26, 1906, for distinction. On December 6, 1911, he was promoted to the rank of

, and received seniority on November 26, 1912, for distinction.

Russian Civil War

After the

February Revolution The February Revolution (), known in Soviet historiography as the February Bourgeois Democratic Revolution and sometimes as the March Revolution or February Coup was the first of Russian Revolution, two revolutions which took place in Russia ...

of 1917 he became the Commissioner of the

Provisional Government A provisional government, also called an interim government, an emergency government, a transitional government or provisional leadership, is a temporary government formed to manage a period of transition, often following state collapse, revoluti ...

on the CER. After the

October Revolution The October Revolution, also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution (in Historiography in the Soviet Union, Soviet historiography), October coup, Bolshevik coup, or Bolshevik revolution, was the second of Russian Revolution, two r ...

of 1917 the CER was still in full order, and life was generally stable. People believed that as long as Horvat was there, everyone would be protected from misfortunes. The area around the CER became known as "Happy, blessed Horvatia". However, due to the collapse of central power in Russian the area was effectively independent, left to its own devices. General Horvat did not long agree on general persuasion to take upon himself the heavy burden of exercising the authority of the supreme power, but on July 10, 1918 he conceded, declaring himself the Temporary Ruler until Russian national sovereignty was restored. The acting manager of the CER from the period of April 28, 1918, to November 5, 1920, was the former head of the road traction service engineer Vasiliy Lachinov. He remained in this high ranking post until September 13, 1918, when, after long and difficult negotiations, he recognized the Provisional Siberian Government. He transferred his sovereign powers to the Provisional Government, resigning as the Temporary Ruler and remaining High Commissioner for the Far East. Having relinquished the title of Temporary Supreme Ruler, he became the Supreme Commissioner in the Far East, with the subordination of all troops and military flotillas located in the region. He retained his authority after

Provisional All-Russian Government The Provisional All-Russian Government, informally known as the Directory, the Ufa Directory, or the Omsk Directory, was a short-lived government of the Russian State during the Russian Civil War, formed on 23 September 1918 at the State Confe ...

formed in the city of

Ufa Ufa is a city in Russia and the capital of the republic of Bashkortostan. UFA or Ufa may also refer to: Places * Ufa (river), a river in Russia; a tributary of the Belaya * Ufa International Airport, near the Russian city * Ufa railway statio ...

, and after power passed to Supreme Ruler, Admiral

Alexander Kolchak Admiral Alexander Vasilyevich Kolchak (; – 7 February 1920) was a Russian navy officer and polar explorer who led the White movement in the Russian Civil War. As he assumed the title of Supreme Ruler of Russia in 1918, Kolchak headed a mili ...

. On

August 31 Events Pre-1600 * 1056 – After a sudden illness a few days previously, Byzantine Empress Theodora dies childless, thus ending the Macedonian dynasty. * 1057 – Abdication of Byzantine Emperor Michael VI Bringas after just one ye ...

1919 Events January * January 1 ** The Czechoslovak Legions occupy much of the self-proclaimed "free city" of Pressburg (later Bratislava), enforcing its incorporation into the new republic of Czechoslovakia. ** HMY ''Iolaire'' sinks off th ...

, with the appointment of General

Rozanov Rozanov () is a Russian masculine surname; its feminine counterpart is Rozanova. It may refer to: *Irina Rozanova (born 1961), Russian actress *Maria Rozanova (born 1929), Russian publisher and editor * Olga Rozanova (1886–1918), Russian avant-gar ...

as the Chief of the Amur Region, General Horvat returned from

Vladivostok Vladivostok ( ; , ) is the largest city and the administrative center of Primorsky Krai and the capital of the Far Eastern Federal District of Russia. It is located around the Zolotoy Rog, Golden Horn Bay on the Sea of Japan, covering an area o ...

Harbin Harbin, ; zh, , s=哈尔滨, t=哈爾濱, p=Hā'ěrbīn; IPA: . is the capital of Heilongjiang, China. It is the largest city of Heilongjiang, as well as being the city with the second-largest urban area, urban population (after Shenyang, Lia ...

. There he remained at the head of the administration of a vast territory of the railway alienation line until the

Karakhan Manifesto The Karakhan Manifesto was a statement of Soviet policy toward China dated 25 July 1919. It was issued by Lev Karakhan, deputy commissioner for foreign affairs for Soviet Russia. The manifesto offered to relinquish various rights Russia had ...

appeared, in which the Bolshevik government relinquished Russian rights over the CER to China.

Emigration

After the Karakhan Manifesto was given to China, Horvat retired from the railway and in 1920 left for

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

, where he engaged in political and social activities. From 1921 to 1924 he served as the Advisor to the Society of the Chinese Eastern Railway in Beijing, and starting in 1924 he served as the Chairman of the Department of the

Russian All-Military Union The Russian All-Military Union (, abbreviated РОВС, ROVS) is a White movement organization that was founded by White Army General Pyotr Wrangel in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes on 1 September 1924. It was initially headquartered ...

in China. He remained there until his death, being the officially recognized head of the Russian emigrés in the Far East. He worked tirelessly to protect the rights of émigrés and arranged their well-being. He was buried near one of the walls of the Church of All Holy Martyrs in the Beijing spiritual mission.

Family

* Wife – Camilla Albertovna Benois (1879 – July 4, 1959,

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

) – the daughter of the architect

Albert Benois Albert Nikolayevitch Benois (; – 16 May 1936) was a Russian painter and art teacher who specialized in watercolor landscapes. Biography His father was the architect, Nicholas Benois. He graduated from secondary school in 1871, then attended ...

. *Son – Dmitry Dmitrievich Horvat, wife – Olga Olegovna (born Isaeva); *Daughter – Evdokia Dmitrievna Williams.

Military ranks

*Entered the service (September 1, 1875);List of senior generals. St. Petersburg, 1906. *

Podpraporshchik Podpraporshchik (, ) was a Russian non-commissioned officer (NCO) rank ( rus, у̀нтер-офице́р ранг, , ˌunʲtʲɪr ɐfʲɪˈtsɛr rank), originally below the Sergeant and Feldwebel. From 1826 to 1884 it became the highest NCO rank ...

(April 16, 1878); *

Praporshchik (, , ) is a rank used by the Russian Armed Forces and a number of former communist states. The rank is a non-commissioned officer's and is equivalent to in the corresponding navies. It is usually equivalent to warrant officer class 1 or serge ...

(May 11, 1879); *

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

(March 24, 1885); * Staff-captain (April 6, 1889); *

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

(August 30, 1894); *

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

(May 17, 1896); * Major general (November 26, 1906); *

Lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

(November 26, 1912).

Awards

Order of Saint Stanislaus The Order of Saint Stanislaus (, ), also spelled Stanislas, was a Polish order of knighthood founded in 1765 by King Stanisław August Poniatowski of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. It remained under the Congress Poland, Kingdom of Pola ...

, 3rd class (1889); *

Order of Saint Anna The Imperial Order of Saint Anna (; also "Order of Saint Anne" or "Order of Saint Ann") was a Holstein ducal and then Russian imperial order of chivalry. It was established by Karl Friedrich, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp, on 14 February 1735, in hono ...

, 3rd class (1893); *

, 2nd class (1895); *

, 2nd class (1899); *

Order of Saint Vladimir The Imperial Order of Saint Prince Vladimir () was an Imperial Russian order established on by Empress Catherine the Great, Catherine II in memory of the deeds of Vladimir I, Prince of Kiev, Saint Vladimir, the Grand Prince and the Baptizer of ...

, 3rd class (1902); *

, 1st class (1905); *

, 2nd class (1910); * Order of the White Eagle (1915). foreign: *Golden Star of the Order of Noble Bukhara, 2nd class (1892); *Tunisian Officer's Cross of

Order of Glory The Order of Glory () was a military decoration of the Soviet Union established by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet on November 8, 1943. It was awarded to soldiers and non-commissioned officers of the Red Army as well as to aviation ...

(1897); *Prussian Order of the Crown, 2nd class (1900); *Golden Star of the Order of Noble Bukhara, 1st class (1901).

Notes

References

Sources

External links