Vasiliy Grigoriev Russian statistician, economist, publicist Date of Birth: 01.01.1852

1. Early Life and Education
2. Statistical Investigations
3. Literary Contributions
4. Notable Publications
5. Personal Life

Early Life and Education

Alexander Grigoriev was a Russian statistician, economist, and publicist of the Narodnik movement, whose passions also extended to municipal affairs. He graduated from the Engineering School and served as a sapper officer in the Kiev Governorate. However, he entered the Petrovsky Agricultural Academy and was administratively exiled to Pudoga in 1876 for his involvement in a collective student protest.

Statistical Investigations

Throughout the 1870s, Grigoriev collaborated with the prominent Slavophile A. I. Koshelev. In 1880, he researched the Pavlovsky industries in the Nizhny Novgorod Governorate. Subsequently, he became the head of the statistical department of the Ryazan provincial zemstvo for two years, but his work was halted due to disagreements among zemstvo parties.

From 1886 to 1897, Grigoriev headed the statistical department of the city of Moscow. In 1896, he became a member of the Moscow city council, where he actively participated in various municipal affairs, including sewage, water supply, charity, labor homes, and troop billeting. Both in zemstvo and urban statistics, Grigoriev demonstrated exceptional organizational skills and pioneered innovative methods for collecting, summarizing, and processing statistical data.

Literary Contributions

Grigoriev's first published work was "The Cutlery and Lock Manufacturing of the Pavlov District" (1881), which appeared as an appendix to V. Rogozin's book "Volga." He also published four volumes of "Collection of Statistical Information" on the Ryazan Governorate.

Notable Publications

Grigoriev's most significant work was "Migration of Peasants from the Ryazan Governorate" (1885), which was awarded a prize by Moscow University. Among his works on urban statistics, "The Bread Baking Industry and Bread Price in Moscow" (1889) stands out.

Additionally, Grigoriev compiled two volumes of the "Statistical Atlas of Moscow," as well as reports on housing assessment norms, charity, industrial and commercial establishments (1885-90), hauling, and school enrollment. In 1897, he edited "Anthology of Essays on Moscow." For many years, he de facto edited the "News of the City Duma." Grigoriev's articles were published in "Legal Herald," "Russian Thought," "Russian Gazette," and Granat's "Encyclopedia."

Personal Life

Grigoriev was a close friend of the writer Vladimir Korolenko from their time together at the Petrovsky-Razumovsky Academy. He was released from arrest and attended Korolenko's funeral.

Grigoriev's daughter Yelena was married to the economist A. V. Chayanov from 1912 to 1920. After their divorce, she married the artist Alexei Alexandrovich Rybnikov in 1920.