Kochubei

Kochubei [Kočubej]. A family of Cossack starshyna descended from the Tatar Kuchukbei, who became a Christian and took the name Andrii. Andrii's grandson, Vasyl Kochubei, was the general chancellor (1687–99) and general judge (1699–1708) under Hetman Ivan Mazepa. Vasyl's son, also Vasyl (ca 1680–1743), was the colonel of Poltava regiment from 1729 to 1743. His grandson, Semen (1725–79), was the colonel of Nizhyn regiment (1746–51), the last general quartermaster (1756–79) and the actual head of the government under Hetman Kyrylo Rozumovsky, and, from 1764, a member of the Little Russian Collegium. Semen's grandson, also named Semen (ca 1778–1835), was the marshal of the nobility in Poltava gubernia and a member of the Love of Truth masonic lodge in Poltava. A relative, Viktor Kochubei (1768–1834), became a Russian count in 1799 and a prince in 1831 and was a prominent Russian statesman and diplomat. He was appointed imperial vice-chancellor in 1798 and senator in 1801, and served as the minister of internal affairs (1802–12, 1819–25) and chairman of the State Council and the Committee of Ministers (1827–34). Viktor's son, Vasilii, was a famous numismatist. The noble family owned estates in Poltava gubernia, Chernihiv gubernia, and Saint Petersburg gubernia.

[This article originally appeared in the Encyclopedia of Ukraine, vol. 2 (1989).]