Formation of Z.N. Shishkin's professional biography - the first rector of the Moscow Practical Construction Institute

The article contains the most important facts of personal and professional biography of the first rector of the Moscow Practical Construction Institute, Zakhar Nesterovich Shishkin (1878-1947). On the basis of the first published archival materials it is shown how the revolutionary events of the early XX century could influence the life and work of the railway engineer, who tied his life with the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party. Having begun his teaching career in one of the technical schools in Moscow, together with other enthusiasts of his work, Z.N. Shishkin showed himself a successful head of an educational institution with the authority of the regional and national level. Soviet power reformed the system of vocational education, which allowed to expand the network of higher technical educational institutions and gave rise to a new phenomenon - practical institutes, in the preparation of the regulatory framework of which Z.N. Shishkin participated. Under conditions of civil war and socioeconomic crisis, such institutions were in demand for urgent solution of personnel issues in the economy. Materials related to the activities of the first rector of the Moscow Practical Construction Institute (now the Moscow State University of Civil Engineering), allowed to clarify the date of the formation of the new educational institution.