Nikolai Kishkin

Nikolai Mikhailovich Kishkin (Nov. 29 (Dec. 11), 1864, Moscow, 16 March, 1930, Moscow) was a Russian politician on the Central Committee of the Constitutional Democrat Party (Kadets). He was Deputy Chief representative of the All Russia Union of Cities. Following the February Revolution of 1917 he became a commissar of the Provisional Government in Moscow, being appointed Minister of Public Charities on 25 September (8 October) that year.

On 25 October, whilst the Bolshevik seizure of power was in progress he was appointed dictator by the cabinet meeting of the Provisional Government. Assuming this role at 4:00 pm, he immediately set about appointing assistants and replacing General Polkolnikov as commander of the Petrograd Military District, with General Jaques Bagratuni. The principal consequence of this was that a number of Polkolnikov colleagues immediately resigned or quietly watched events unfold from their windows.