Aleksandr Roediger

Alexander Roediger (or Rödiger) (Russian: Алекса́ндр Фёдорович Ре́дигер, tr. Aleksándr Fyodorovich Rédiger; 12 January 1854 [O.S. 31 December 1853], in Veliky Novgorod, Novgorod Governorate, Russian Empire – 26 January 1920, in Sevastopol, Crimean ASSR, Russian SFSR) was a Russo-German General of Infantry who fought in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78, served as a member of the Imperial Russian State Council, and was the Minister of War of the Russian Empire (1905–1909). He also briefly served as the Minister of War of the Principality of Bulgaria (1883).

Alexander Roediger
Russian Minister of War
In office 15 July 1905 – 11 March 1909
Monarch	Nicholas II
Preceded by	Viktor Sakharov
Succeeded by	Vladimir Sukhomlinov
Bulgarian Minister of War
In office 19 September 1883 – 26 October 1883
Monarch	Alexander I
Preceded by	Alexander Kaulbars
Succeeded by	Viktor Kotelnikov
Personal details
Born	12 January 1854 [O.S. 31 December 1853] Veliky Novgorod, Novgorod Governorate, Russian Empire
Died	26 January 1920(1920-01-26) (aged 66) Sevastopol, Crimean ASSR, Russian SFSR
Nationality	Russian
Alma mater	Nikolayev Academy of the General Staff
Military service
Allegiance	Russian Empire
Branch/service	Imperial Russian Army
Years of service	1870s–1917
Rank	General of Infantry
Battles/wars	Russo-Turkish War

Biography

Origin

Born on 12 January [O.S. 31 December 1853] 1854, Roediger was born into a German family of Philipp Friedrich Roediger and a Finland-Swedish noblewoman Elisabeth Charlotta von Schulmann, his father was a German who was working as a cadet school principal in Novgorod at the time of Alexander’s birth. His family was of Hessian origin.

Career

Roediger graduate of the Page Corps and a student of the Nikolayev Academy of the General Staff; served in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878; in 1882 was appointed Assistant Minister and later Minister of War of the newly independent Principality of Bulgaria; on his return to Russia became a Professor in the Nikolayev Military Academy. He was appointed Assistant Minister of War of Russia in 1898 under Aleksey Kuropatkin. Served as Russian Minister of War from 1905 through 1909 serving in the Witte, Goremykin and Stolypin governments. He was also an appointed member of the Imperial State Council beginning in 1905. In June 1907 police foiled a plot to assassinate Roediger. Several members of Socialist-Revolutionary Party were arrested.

Further reading

• Out of My Past: Memoirs of Count Kokovtsov; Hoover War Library Publications Number 6, Stanford University Press, 1935.