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General Affairs Department under the Ministry of Internal Affairs was founded
11 (23) May 1842 under the Ministry of Internal Affairs was established the Department of General Affairs for office management.
In the 1830's - 1840's the Ministry of Interior held a number of organizational measures aimed at strengthening its police and repressive functions by reducing its economic activity. In 1842 the Office of the Ministry, which had been in charge of the personnel of the local administrative authorities, was reorganized into the Department of General Affairs. The Department had the same functions as the Office of Internal Affairs and consisted of three divisions.
The first division was in charge of the affairs of Imperial decrees; instructions given on the occasion of imperial trips; affairs regarding the personnel of the central institutions of MIA; affairs of the Minister’s correspondence regarding appointment, dismissal, transfer, awarding and pensions of civil governors, mayors and vice-governors and appointing them benefits of various kinds; it handled cases that required a special secret, or direct supervision of the minister; controlled the opening of printing houses under provincial and regional boards, the publication of "Provincial Gazette”; was in charge of personnel of police departments, provincial government, offices of governors and mayors; it appointed awards for philanthropic deeds and unofficial distinguished services; as well as was in charge of cases which demanded general orders to all or several departments of the Interior Ministry.
Under the jurisdiction of the second division were the cases treating the nobility and the merchant's elections; resolutions of the nobility for arrangement of noble boarding houses, award of pensions and other benefits to employees in charge of the nobility cases and their awards; cases of conferment of honorary citizenship; of establishment of guardianship of minors and insane. The division also gathered information about the ancient buildings and ancient monuments, led correspondence about museums and similar institutions.
The third division was in charge of all affairs of the Offences against the Orthodox faith; gave orders for the Council of Minister of Internal Affairs, the Statistical office of the Council and considered proposals and projects before their submission to the Council of Minister of the Interior; was in charge of the personnel and uniforms of all subordinate places; examined reports of governors and mayors, made extracts from them before their submission to the Council of Minister of Internal Affairs.
June 20 (July 2) 1865 was established the fourth division, which was in charge of making up estimates, accounting and bookkeeping throughout the Ministry of Interior. From 1 (13) January 1896 opened the fifth division, May 21 (3 June) 1902 were created the sixth and seventh divisions, and in 1915 was formed the 8th division, which was in charge of inspection and renewal of state borders, development of the North, as well as the elimination of the German ownership of land.
In 1917, was developed a draft for reorganization of the Department of General Affairs, under which all functions were to be split between three divisions (administrative, legislative, financial and economic), but this project was not implemented.
The Department ceased to exist in February 1918.
Lit.: Высшие и центральные государственные учреждения России 1801-1917. Т. 2. СПб., 2001; Кочкарев Г. В. На страже интересов Российской империи: К 200-летию МВД России. Ижевск, 2001.
Based on the Presidential Library’s materials:
Министерство внутренних дел : Ист. очерк : [1802-1902]. СПб., 1902;
Полное собрание законов Российской империи. Т. 17 (1842). СПб., 1843. № 15634. С. 369;