Alexander Yakovlevich Fabre (November 16, 1782 - August 4, 1844) French by birth /Jacques-Alexandre Fabre/ was born in the Vars department in Provence on November 5 (16), 1782 and was the eldest of six children of his father Jacob Fabre, doctor of medicine and surgery. Alexander Yakovlevich's father from an early age took up the education of his son, dreaming of seeing him as an engineer, since his brother, Karl Fabre, held an important position as an engineer at that time. After studying at home in different schools, Fabre lost his father during the revolution and the aforementioned uncle continued to supervise the studies of his nephew until 1801, that is, until he entered the Polytechnic School in Paris. After completing two courses at this school, in mathematics and in drawing, Fabre was transferred to the School of Railway Engineers.
After graduating from her course in 1805 with honors and the title of candidate, he was appointed to the disposal of the inspector general of communications. After a number of successfully completed assignments and projects, in 1810 he was already in the position of an ordinary engineer. After the meeting of the emperors Alexander I and Napoleon in Erfurt in 1809, Fabre, by the highest decree of July 18, 1810, was accepted into the Russian service, into the Corps of Railway Engineers, with the rank of lieutenant colonel and with the production of a double salary for him against that which he received in France .
Upon arrival in Russia, Fabre was appointed to the newly founded Institute of the Corps of Railway Engineers as a professor of applied mathematics, with assignment to the reserve of the Corps of Railway Engineers. In September 1811, he was appointed to be under the Governor-General of St. Petersburg to arrange canals, while maintaining his position at the Institute[1].
In 1812, during hostilities with the French, he was removed to live first in Yaroslavl, then in Poshekhonye and finally in Irkutsk, with the production of only one regular salary for him. As a result of a special petition from the highest Irkutsk authorities, in view of Fabre's extremely poor financial situation, the Imperial Decree followed to appoint him again a double salary.
In 1815, Fabre was returned to St. Petersburg and entered into Russian citizenship; in the same year he was sent to the IV district of communications and then entered the service there to draw up projects for the construction of the Taganrog and Mariampol ports, as well as to survey and level the Manycha River.
In the mid-1810s he was a member of the St. Petersburg Masonic Lodge of the United Friends.
In 1818 he was sent to Moscow to raise 4 bells to the bell tower of Ivan the Great, and in the same year he was appointed to the full-time position of assistant director of military settlements, with an appointment to the 1st district of communications, to the Novgorod province.
He was promoted to major general on March 1, 1820. In 1827 he was appointed to attend the Council of the General Staff of His Imperial Majesty on military settlements. On April 21, 1831, he was transferred to the corps of engineers of military settlements, but, due to illness, by order of February 26, 1833, he was dismissed from service.
He died at home in 1844.
