Alexander Fyodorovich Kerensky (4 May 1881 – 11 June 1970) was the head of the Russian Provisional Government from 21 July to 7 November 1917, succeeding Georgy Lvov. Kerensky led the socialist Trudoviks to power during the February Revolution of February 1917, only to be overthrown by Vladimir Lenin's Bolsheviks during the October Revolution.
Biography[]
Alexander Fyodorovich Kerensky was born on 4 May 1881 in Simbirsk, Russian Empire (present-day Ulyanovsk, Russia), the son of a teacher. His father was one of the teachers of the Ulyanov family, which included Vladimir Lenin; Kerensky and Lenin's families were friendly with each other. In 1899, he studied philology and history at St. Petersburg University, and he earned a law degree in 1904. In 1904, he was jailed for being a member of a militant group, and he was elected to the State Duma as a member of the Trudoviks in 1912. In 1917, he was one of the leaders of the Russian Revolution against Czar Nicholas II of Russia, and he formed the moderate socialist Russian Provisional Government. It was short-lived, and the failure of the Kerensky Offensive led to the Bolsheviks' seizure of power in October 1917, overthrowing the moderates. Kerensky moved to Paris, France, and he moved to the United States in 1940. He died in New York City in 1970.