Rudolf (Ruvim) Lazarevich Samoylovich (Russian:Рудольф Лазаревич Самойлович; 13 September (O.S. 1 September), 1881 – 4 March 1939) was aSoviet polar explorer, professor, and doctor of geographic sciences.
Samoylovich was born into the family of a Jewish merchant inAzov. After graduating from theMariupolGymnasium (ru), he studiedphysics andmathematics atImperial Novorossiya University where he became involved in revolutionary activities and came under police surveillance. Under pressure from his concerned mother, he relocated to Germany and studied at theMining Academy in Freiberg. While in Germany he remained politically active, including by shipping to Azov copies of the underground newspaperIskra. After graduating in 1904, he returned to Azov and worked on the underground printing of revolutionary literature.
In 1906, he moved toRostov-on-Don. Samoylovich participated in rallies and campaigns to organize railroad workers,Cossacks, and soldiers. During this time he was once again under police surveillance and was arrested in July 1906. He lived inSaint Petersburg for two years as an accountant under thepseudonym Sorokin. During this time he was involved with theRussian Social Democratic Labour Party. He was arrested and exiled toPinega. In 1910, he was allowed to relocate to the nearby city ofArkhangelsk where he became involved in Arctic studies and metVladimir Rusanov.
In 1912, he participated in Rusanov'sgeological expedition toSpitsbergen. Samoylovich was one of the initiators and the first director of theNorthern Research and Trade Expedition. In 1925, this research center was reorganized into theInstitute of Northern Studies, which was headed by Samoylovich until 1930. The institute was reorganized as theAll-Union Arctic Institute in which Samoylovich served as deputy director from 1932 to 1938. Samoylovich founded the Department of Polar Countries atLeningrad State University and served as its chairman from 1934 to 1937.
During this period, Samoylovich also took part in numerous Arctic expeditions. In 1928 he commanded the icebreakerKrassin in a mission to rescue survivors of the airshipItalia which had crashed during an expedition to theNorth Pole. He led the scientific team on the 1931 Arctic expedition of the airshipGraf Zeppelin, which studiedmagnetism and mappedFranz Josef Land. He then led Arctic expeditions on several icebreakers:Vladimir Rusanov in 1932,Georgiy Sedov in 1934, andSadko in 1936 and 1937–1938.
Samoylovich was arrested in May 1938 and was shot on March 4, 1939, inLeningrad. He was posthumouslyrehabilitated in 1957.
A strait and a glacier top onFranz Josef Land, a bay onNovaya Zemlya, an island inSevernaya Zemlya, a peninsula and anunatak inAntarctica bear Rudolf Samoylovich's name as does aliquified natural gas carrier built in 2018. He was awarded theOrder of Lenin andOrder of the Red Banner of Labour.
InThe Red Tent, a 1969 Soviet-Italian film about theItalia expedition, Samoylovich is played by Grigory Gai (ru).
Since 1981, the house where Samoylovich lived in Azov has been operated as a museum.
This article includes content derived from theGreat Soviet Encyclopedia, 1969–1978, which is partially in thepublic domain.
Newspaper clippings about Rudolf Samoylovich in the20th Century Press Archives of theZBW
