Collection ID:

Collection context

Summary

Creator:
Nikolaev, K. N. (Konstantin Nikolaevich), 1884-1965
Abstract:
This collection contains the correspondence and writings of Konstantin Nikolaevich Nikolaev, a jurist, and reflect his work as an advocate on behalf of displaced persons.
Extent:
1.2 cubic feet and 3 manuscript boxes
Language:
Russian

Background

Scope and Content:

These papers provide insight into the life of the Orthodox Church in Poland in the Interwar period, where Konstantin Nikolaev served as legal advisor to the Orthodox Church in Poland, until he was forced into exile to Yugoslavia, where he continued to be active in the offices of Patriarch Varnava and Metropolitan Anastasii. Nikolaev was a defender of human rights, especially in regards to the Russian émigrés, which is reflected in this collection, particularly in the SUBJECT FILE in the papers of the Union of Russian Jurists. Therefore, these papers reflect his activities on behalf of Russian émigrés at large.

The CORRESPONDENCE is mainly of a personal nature, however, the SUBJECT FILE includes detailed correspondence related to Nikolaev’s role as chair of the Union of Russian Jurists Former DPs in the USA, which was founded by him as a continuation of the Union of Russian Jurists in Germany, which he also established.

Nikolaev’s legal and advocacy activities are also reflected in his SPEECHES AND WRITINGS, which are in part represented in these papers. Particularly significant in this regard are “Bor’ba russkikh tserkovnykh i obshchestvennykh organizatsii za zhizn’ russkikh DP v Germanii,” and “Istoriia dieiatel’nosti russkikh tserkovnykh i obshchestvennykh organizatsii v okkupatsionnykh zonakh Germanii po zashchitie zhizni i svobody b. sovietskikh grazhdan pred amerikanskimi vlastiami.” Also significant is his memoir, “Moi zhiznennyi put’,” which describes his early life, military career, service in the White Army during the Russian Civil War, and émigré activities.

Detailed processing and preservation microfilming for these materials were made possible by a generous grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and by matching funds from the Hoover Institution and the Holy Trinity Seminary. The grant also provides depositing a microfilm copy in the Hoover Institution Archives. The original materials remain in the Holy Trinity Seminary Archives as its property. A transfer table indicating corresponding box and reel numbers is appended to this register. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in these materials do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Biographical / Historical:

Konstantin Nikolaevich Nikolaev was born in Kiev, Russia, in 1884. In 1905, he graduated from the law school at the Kiev University of Saint Vladimir. From 1911 to 1918 he practiced law in Kiev, and in 1920 he emigrated to Warsaw, Poland. There, he worked as a legal advisor to the Polish Orthodox Church from 1926-1933. From 1933 to 1944, Nikolaev lived in Belgrade, Yugoslavia. In 1946, he organized the Union of Russian Jurists in Germany. Nikolaev then emigrated to the United States, where he founded the Union of Russian Jurists Former DPs in the USA in 1950. Nikolaev died in New York, New York in 1965.

Access

RESTRICTIONS:

This collection is open for research according to the regulations of the Foundation of Russian History.

TERMS OF ACCESS:

Permission to quote (publish) from unpublished or previously published material must be obtained as described in the regulations of the Foundation of Russian History.

LOCATION OF THIS COLLECTION:
1407 Robinson Road
Jordanville, NY 13361, United States
CONTACT:
315-858-2468