Semen Duvan City mayor of Yevpatoria (from 1906 almost until the revolution) Date of Birth: 01.04.1870 Country: Ukraine

1. Biography of Semyon Duvan
2. Contributions to Evpatoria
3. Landowner and Philanthropist
4. Life in France and Advocacy for the Karaites
5. Dream of Returning to Homeland
6. Legacy

Biography of Semyon Duvan

Semyon Duvan was the mayor of Evpatoria, a city in the Taurida Governorate, from 1906 until the revolution. He was one of the most prominent representatives of municipal governance in the region and a philanthropist. Duvan was the grandson of Semyon Solomonovich Bobovich, the first ghaham of the Crimean Karaites.

Contributions to Evpatoria

Through Duvan's efforts, Evpatoria transformed from a small provincial town into an international resort. He established a library, a theater, and numerous medical centers. Duvan was also a skilled agronomist and livestock breeder. In a memorial note about Duvan, compiled by the Imperial Chancellery, his contributions to the country were listed: "Completely transformed the city of Evpatoria with new planning, the construction of bridges, electric lighting, and trams, improving its sanitary conditions, developing the resort area, constructing a city theater, park, city library, creating a completely new, beautiful, and well-maintained part of the city, and more. Built exemplary schools and hospitals... Worked extensively and effectively on land management and personally managed a model farm... Established telephone communication throughout the Evpatoria district..."

Landowner and Philanthropist

Duvan was the largest landowner in the Evpatoria district, owning approximately 5,000 desyatins of land. Engaging in public activities, he served not for salary but out of a desire to bring as much benefit as possible to his hometown and Motherland. He left a good memory among his contemporaries through his extensive charitable work. He received numerous awards for his social activities, including a golden box adorned with diamonds from the last Russian Emperor Nicholas II.

Life in France and Advocacy for the Karaites

After the revolution, Duvan moved to France. Little is known about this period of his life. During the occupation, he became an advocate for the Karaites against the anti-Semitic policies of Nazi Germany. In September 1938, Duvan made a trip to Berlin and appealed to the Minister of Internal Affairs regarding the ethnic origin and religion of the Karaites. He received assistance from the Russian emigrant bureau and Bishop Seraphim of Berlin and Germany. On January 5, 1939, a clarification was received from the State Racial Bureau of Germany, stating that the Karaites were not considered Jews in terms of religion or race. This distinction helped many Karaites survive in the territories occupied by Germany during World War II. Duvan was married to Sara Iosifovna Duvan (nee Kalfe) and had five children: three sons (Joseph, Sergey, and Boris) and two daughters (Anna and Lisa, who married Budu and Gelelovich).

Dream of Returning to Homeland

In his later years, Duvan dreamed of returning to his homeland. "I believe that sooner or later Russia will rid itself of the Bolsheviks and, in that case, it will be restored as a normal state." From 1906, he was repeatedly elected as a representative of the Evpatoria County Zemstvo Assembly. He served as an honorary trustee of the male gymnasium, trustee of the Evpatoria Zemstvo Hospital, trustee of the Evpatoria School-Sanatorium for the Deaf and Mute, chairman of the trustees' council of the women's gymnasium since 1907, one of the three provincial zemstvo deputies from Evpatoria (1909-1912, 1915-1917), director of the Evpatoria Prison Committee since 1902, member of the Taurida Department of the Russian Red Cross, honorary justice of the peace (1911-1917), member of the Laying Presidium (1905-1909), chairman of the Evpatoria County Committee for Aid to Wounded Soldiers since 1914, and chairman of the library council since 1916. He was awarded the Orders of St. Anne (2nd and 3rd class), St. Vladimir (4th class), the medal of the Russian Red Cross Society, the Romanov Sign of Distinction (2nd class), and a silver cross of the Greek Order of the Savior by King George I for allocating five thousand rubles for the construction of the Greek St. Elijah Church in Evpatoria, under his chairmanship.

Legacy

In his honor, a street in Evpatoria was named Duvanovskaya (already during his lifetime for his outstanding services to the city), and in the 21st century, a monument was erected near the city theater.