Sibiryakov Alexander Mikhailovich 
(26.09(08.10).1849–02.11.1933)

Russian commercial and industrial figure, capitalist gold producer, one of the most active supporters of the development of the Northeast Passage, the Northern Sea Route. 
Born in Irkutsk. He graduated from the Polytechnic in Zurich. 
Sibiryakov was a European cultural man. He was one of the best representatives of the characteristic layer of the bourgeoisie for Siberia, which “lives by itself and provides means for carrying out important cultural undertakings concerning the interests of Siberia, the Motherland”. 
Sibiryakov participated in the organization and financing of a number of polar expeditions. Together with M.K. Sidorov, he subsidized the Swedish expedition N.A.-E. Nordenskiöld on the vessel "Vega" in 1878–1879, which carried out the first through passage of the Northeast Passage, and a number of other expeditions through the Kara Sea to the mouths of the Ob and Yenisei. For his contribution to the organization of this expedition, Sibiryakov was awarded the Swedish Order “Polar Star”. In 1879, in order to search for the Nordensheld expedition, he sent his steamer to the mouth of the Yenisei and gave money to explore the regions of the Arctic Ocean adjacent to this region. 
Earlier, he turned to Imperial Russian Geographical Society with a proposal to study the waterways of Siberia, donating 7,000 rubles to this. The course of the Angara and the watershed of the Ob and Yenisei rivers was investigated. In 1880, Sibiryakov himself made an attempt to go to the mouth of the Yenisei through the Kara Sea. His own steamer "Oscar Dickson" left Norway, passed the Barents Sea, the Karsky Gates, but met impassable ice near the Yavai Peninsula and was forced to winter. The following year, in July, the ship was crushed by ice and sank with all cargo. Gradually, Sibiryakov’s interest in the Kara Sea Route waned. He used the idea of K.D. Nosilov on creating a land route through the Urals. In 1884, Sibiryakov, on the Nordensheld steamer, went to the mouth of the Pechora, then up river along the river steamer, and then crossed the Urals on reindeer and along the Tobol River and reached Tobolsk, thus opening an important trade route, known as the Sibiryakovsky Highway. on North".Already in 1887–1888 210 thousand poods of various cargoes were transported in this way. 
At various times, Sibiryakov donated over 10,000 rubles to the East-Siberian department of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society, gave money to publish essays on the history of Siberia, did a lot to open Tomsk University, donated 10,000 rubles to the Academy of Sciences for paying original historical works in Russian about Siberia. 
Sibiryakov owns few, but valuable works on various Siberian issues. He repeatedly traveled around Siberia and its outskirts, studying mainly questions of communication.Many of his ideas and suggestions were implemented, which made his name very popular in Siberia.

A well-known patron of the arts was his younger brother, Innokentiy Mikhailovich Sibiryakov. 
Alexander Mikhailovich did a lot of good and useful things for his native Irkutsk. He donated 800 thousand rubles. on the creation and maintenance of four primary schools named after A.M. Kladischeva (her sister, who died at the age of 22), 50 thousand rubles. - the establishment of the Higher Technical School, 12 thousand rubles. - on the device printing the newspaper "Siberia". Irkutsk gymnasium, he gave the sculpture MM. Antokolsky and three landscapes I.K. Aivazovsky, the public library - many valuable publications in Russian and foreign languages (including the "Complete Collection of Chronicles" and "Proceedings of the Geographical Society" for several years). He gave the city two fire trucks, rebuilt the poor-built shelter for the poor, created by his father, and helped raise funds for the construction of a new theater to replace the burned-out one. Sibiryakov helped a lot of students: he was an honorary member of the Society for providing benefits to students in Eastern Siberia and a member of the Society to help students in St. Petersburg Siberians. There were ten scholarships named after A.M., K.M., I.M. Sibiryakovs and A.M. Kladischevoy. 
Another area of Alexander Mikhailovich's charitable activity is the construction and improvement of churches. In Irkutsk, in Craft Sloboda, he built a temple in the name of the icon of the Kazan Mother of God, preserved to this day; in Voznesensky monastery he landscaped the main church; donated land for the construction of the poorhouse for widows and orphans of the clergy. For services to the city of Sibiryakov in 1893, he was awarded the title of honorary citizen of Irkutsk. 
Millions of costs have significantly reduced the status of Sibiryakov. At the beginning of the twentieth century, he retired from active entrepreneurial activity, transferred the affairs to his son, and left Irkutsk. He lived in Nice, Batumi, Paris, Zurich. In 1920, the Swedish consul in Nice sought out Sibiryakov, who lived in deep poverty. Thanks to the efforts of the consul and chairman of the Geographical Society in Stockholm, in 1921 the Swedish government appointed Sibiryakov a life pension of 3000 kroons annually.

He was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir of 3 degrees, the Cross of the 1st Class Commander of the Order of the Polar Star from the King of Sweden for his help in organizing the Nordenskiöld Expedition, the palm branch from the French Government for assisting the DeGe expedition, and the silver medal of the Russian Geographical Society.

Died Sibiryakov in France, in Nice, buried in the cemetery Kokad. 
Island in the Yenisei Gulf. Named in 1876 by Nordenskiöld. 
The bay in the southwestern part of the Russian Harbor Bay on the Barents Sea coast of the northern island of Novaya Zemlya. Called by the expedition on the icebreaker "G. Sedov" in 1930.