Role and position of the gubernatorial office manager in the local administration system in the second quarter of the 19th century

One of the key features of the local government system of the Russian Empire of Nicholas I is vigorous activity of the gubernatorial office manager as an administrator. A trusted official, who, according to the decree, could be elected by the governor himself, even though he was formally appointed office manager or assistant, in fact, carried out important assignments and organized office work. The described situation is explained by the fact that unlike the noblemen who started the service being risen to the higher ranks, the gubernatorial office manager began his service with the lowest tiers of the bureaucratic ladder and had wide experience of practical office work, and besides, knew all about the intricacies of official proceedings. A striking example of the active participation of the official in matters within the competence of the governor is the work of G.I. Meshkov, secretary of the Governor of Penza. Starting his career path being chancellery copyist, Meshkov often was promoted to the next class rank ahead of schedule (in particular he obtained the rank of collegiate assessor after four years of service instead of eight). In addition to his responsibilities, Meshkov performed successfully other tasks, such as worked in the committee on development of measures against cholera, the provincial horse breeding committee and others. There are a lot of examples demonstrating unconscionable execution of office duties by the governors in the historians' works. Many governors of provinces didn''t exert themselves much to even learn the content of the papers they signed relying on the shrewdness and experience of their trusted men. The objective explanation for this may be an excessive formal workload of governors, who were supposed to scrutinize and sign over 270 papers a day and to attend 20 public offices.