Ivan Aleksandrovich
Stebut
1833-1923
Ivan Alexandrovich Stebut (1833-1923) was an outstanding Russian agronomist, professor, and organizer of agricultural education. His scientific and pedagogical activities had a significant influence on the development of agronomy in Russia. I. A. Stebut was born on January 31 (February 12), 1833, in Velikiye Luki. After graduating from gymnasium in 1850, he entered the Gory-Goretsky Agricultural Institute, from which he graduated in 1854 and immediately began teaching there. To deepen his knowledge, in 1856 he studied the farming practices of the Baltic provinces and then undertook a long trip abroad, visiting leading European agricultural educational institutions. In 1860, having returned to Russia, Stebut took up the position of junior professor at the Gory-Goretsky Institute. In 1868, he successfully defended his master’s dissertation «Lime as a Means of Restoring Fertility» at St. Petersburg University, which was an important scientific achievement. After the defense, he was invited to the position of professor at the new Petrovsky Agricultural Academy (now the K.A. Timiryazev Russian State Agrarian University – Moscow Timiryazev Agricultural Academy). There he was actively involved not only in teaching but also in the creation of an agricultural museum and an agronomic laboratory for practical student research. Ivan Alexandrovich Stebut became the author of fundamental practical manuals that described in detail methods of soil cultivation and agriculture for central Russia. These works were of great importance for Russian agronomic science and practice. At the beginning of 1898, he took up the high post of chairman of the scientific committee of the Ministry of Agriculture and State Property, while simultaneously serving as a member of the minister’s council. Professor Stebut played a special role in the development of women’s education. He was one of the first in the Russian Empire to consistently advocate for women’s equal right to scientific activity. To realize this idea, he founded special agricultural courses for women, which later became known as the «Stebut Courses». Ivan Alexandrovich Stebut died on October 20, 1923, in Moscow. In memory of his work, a bust monument was unveiled in 2005 on Larch Alley of the Agricultural Academy, created by sculptor L.N. Matyushin.
Address: Moscow, Listvennichnaya al.
