PROTOPOPOV, ALEXANDER DMITRIEVICH (1864-1918), Russian statesman, was born in 1864 and educated in a military school. He served for some time in the army before going into business. As a big landowner of the Simbirsk province, he took an active part in the Zemstvo life, and was elected mem ber of the Executive board of the Simbirsk Zemstvo and marshal of the nobility of the Simbirsk province. He was elected member of the third (1907) and of the fourth State Duma, where he joined the left wing of the Octobrist (Moderate Liberal) party. Later he became vice-president of the State Duma. In March 1916 he visited the capitals of western Europe as one of the leaders of the Russian parliamentary delegation. At the begin ning of Oct. 1916 he was appointed minister of the interior in the Stiirmer cabinet, proving to be now the strongest upholder of reaction. He enforced the censorship, and interfered dangerously with the food-supply work of the Zemstvos and Towns Union. At
a stormy meeting held at the Duma he was asked to resign his post, and when he refused his name was struck off the list of members of the party. Hated by the Liberal circles and by the Duma, Protopopov not only supported the reactionary policy of Stiirmer and Prince Galitzin, but he is said also to have been one of the secret organizers of the disturbances of Feb. 1917, which he proposed to suppress by military force, and which, unexpectedly for him, resulted in the overthrow of the empire and of himself. He was arrested by the Provisional Government and committed for trial. He remained for many months in the Peter and Paul fortress and was executed by order of the Extraordinary Commis sion in Sept. 1918.