Onissim Goldovsky

Onissim Borisovich Goldovsky (January 6, 1865 – September 7, 1922) was a Russian attorney, political philosopher and activist, author, and champion of Jewish causes. A so-called "Westerner" influenced by ideas of the French enlightenment, he was one of the founders of the Kadet party and advocated for a constitutional democracy for Russia. Married to the author Rashel Khin, he fathered three children with the violinist Lea Luboshutz, among them the opera impresario Boris Goldovsky.

Born in Vilnius, his father was a Merchant of the Second Guild. A brilliant student, Goldovsky was initially admitted to the physics and mathematics department of Moscow Imperial University (Императорский Imperatorsky) in 1883, only to switch to the Faculty of History and Philology in 1884 and, after passing all his exams that year, finally ending up in the Faculty of Law, probably at the suggestion of his uncle, the jurist Vladimir Osipovich Garkavi. Coming under the influence of the philosopher Vasili Rozanov, he helped to edit some of his writings. A brief affair with Rozanov’s wife, Polina Suslova, ended in Goldovsky being denounced for his political activities and serving brief jail time. Upon completing his studies he interned with two of the most important liberal jurists of the time -- Rudolf Rudolfovich Mintslov and Alexander Ivanovich Urusov (about whom he wrote a biography). It was Urusov who introduced Goldovsky to his future wife, the writer Rashel Mironovna Khin.

Goldovsky’s legal career involved both defending people accused of political crimes as well as more remunerative commercial work. He represented railway investors and played a role in proposing a lucrative rail branch line for the Trans-Siberian Railway, benefiting the real estate holdings of his client, Aleksei Alexandrovich Lopukhin. At the same time, he was active in the formation of the Kadet party, advocating for constitutional democracy, women’s emancipation, an end to official anti-Semitism, and, importantly, an end to the death penalty. His book, Against the Death Penalty, consisting of over 50 essays on the subject and his own world literature review, was published in 1906 to influence the actions of the first Duma, with a second edition the following year. Prior to its appearance, his wife and he moved temporarily to Paris during the 1905 revolution since, given his political activity, they considered themselves in danger.

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