Akinfiy Nikitich Demidov

Akinfi Nikititch Demidov (Russian Акинфий Никитич Демидов; scientific transliteration Akinfij Nikitič Demidov, * 1678, † August 5, 1745 ) was a Russian entrepreneur and mining industrialist from the influential merchant Demidov dynasty. He was the founder of mining and metallurgy in the Altai Mountains.

Biography

Akinfi Demidov was the son of Nikita Demidov, the thriving owner of the iron foundries in the Urals and one of the main suppliers of the Russian Army in the Great Northern War. At his father's lifetime Akinfi helped lead its operations, learned the business acumen and negotiating skills at the court. He expanded his father's empire significantly expanded its infrastructure and established new works. In addition to the traditional products, iron, cast iron and copper he was conveying and processing malachite and other minerals. In Nizhny Tagil he built the then largest blast furnace. After the discovery of valuable ores in the Altai Mountains Akinfi Demidov was one of the pioneers of their exploitation and development of the region. He founded the silver plant in Barnaul, which was related to the founding of the city.

Under the Akinfi Demidov Demidov Empire reached its greatest prosperity, among other things, he was one of the favorites and a big funder of Ernst Johann von Biron, as this government business conducted in Russia as a favorite of the Empress Anna Ivanovna. At the end of his life Akinfi Demidov was the owner of 25 different metal works where nearly 24,000 people were employed. A large part of its production was Demidov export to England, where the demand for iron and other metals can rise very quickly. For his services, Demidov was raised to the peerage, among others. Demidov was also the founder of the first Russian collection of minerals and ores. The core was formed, which was acquired by him collection of the Freiberg metallurgist and chemist Johann Friedrich Henckel, he advanced to the Siberian and Ural ores.

Akinfi Demidov died the age of 67 during a trip to the places of his youth and was, like his father buried in Tula. Among his three sons Prokofi, Grigori and Nikita broke an inheritance dispute, which was finally decided by the Empress Elizabeth Petrovna. The sons were compensated, while the conglomerate of Demidov plants fell to the state.