Portrait of Sergey Vitte at The State Russian Museum, St Petersburg

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Count Sergei Yulyevich Witte, born on June 29, [O.S. 17 June] 1849, and passing away on March 13, [O.S. 28 February] 1915, was a highly influential econometrician, minister, and prime minister in Imperial Russia. He played a key role in the country's politics at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. Witte was known for his ability to make decisions based on reason alone, rather than adhering to any particular ideology. He successfully attracted foreign capital to support Russia's industrialization efforts, working under two Russian emperors: Alexander III and Nicholas II. During the Russo-Turkish War (1877-78), Witte rose to a position of power, controlling all traffic along the lines of the Odessa Railways. As Minister of Finance, he oversaw extensive industrialization and managed various railroad lines. Witte was instrumental in framing the October Manifesto of 1905, as well as the accompanying government communication. However, he expressed doubts about whether this would be enough to solve Russia's problems with the Tsarist autocracy. On October 20, 1905, Witte became the first Chairman of the Russian Council of Ministers (Prime Minister), working closely with his council to design Russia's first constitution. Despite his efforts, Witte fell out of favor within court circles and resigned before the First Duma assembled. He was confident that he had addressed the main problem - providing political stability to the regime - but believed that the "peasant problem" would continue to shape the character of the Duma's activity. Witte is often described as the 'great reforming finance minister of the 1890s', 'one of Nicholas' most enlightened ministers', and the architect of Russia's new parliamentary order in 1905.