Mikhail Ivanovich Hilkov, born on December 6, 1834, and died on March 8, 1909, was an outstanding Russian statesman from the princely family of Hilkovs, which traces its origins to the Ryapolovsky princes and the appanage princes of Starodub. He served as the Minister of Railways of the Russian Empire and held the rank of Actual State Councillor.

From a young age, Mikhail Ivanovich showed exceptional abilities. At 14, he entered the prestigious St. Petersburg Page Corps, and four years later, after receiving the rank of ensign, began his service in the Life Guards Jaeger Regiment. After five years in the army, he transferred to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and traveled extensively across Europe and America. In 1864, Hilkov unexpectedly took a job as a simple worker in an Anglo-American company building the Transatlantic Railway in South America. Soon, he became the head of the rolling stock and traction service of that railway, and later moved to England, where he worked as a mechanic at a locomotive factory in Liverpool.

Thanks to his experience in railway construction and locomotive manufacturing, Hilkov held leadership positions in Russian railways, serving as the head of the rolling stock and traction service of the Kursk-Kiev and Moscow-Ryazan railways.

In 1880, he led the construction of the Transcaspian Railway branch, the first in the world laid in a desert and shifting sands, and became its manager. In 1882, at the invitation of the Bulgarian government, Hilkov took the position of Minister of Public Works, Transport, Trade, and Agriculture in Bulgaria. In 1885, he returned to Russia and was appointed Chief Inspector of Railways, and on January 4, 1895, he became the Minister of Railways.

During his decade of leadership (from 1895 to 1905), the length of railways in Russia increased from 35,000 to 60,000 kilometers, and freight turnover doubled. Approximately 2,500 kilometers of railway tracks and about 500 kilometers of highways were built annually. Hilkov successfully organized the construction of the Chinese Eastern Railway and actively participated in the work on the Trans-Siberian Railway, often traveling to Siberia to address issues.

Despite his busy schedule, he kept up with innovations in transport technology, especially in the field of electric traction. A commission was established under the Ministry of Railways to study the application of electric traction on railways, highways, and waterways, which positively assessed numerous projects by domestic engineers.

Large-scale transport construction required many specialists, and Hilkov understood this. In 1896, with his participation, the Moscow Engineering School was opened, the second higher educational institution for training transport and construction engineers. Engineering schools for the children of railway workers were significantly developed. With the ministry's funds, 180 general education schools were maintained, educating over 20,000 children.

At Hilkov's suggestion, a professional holiday for railway workers was established in Russia, first celebrated on June 25, 1896, on the centenary of Emperor Nicholas I, the founder of the railways.

The 1905 Revolution affected all sectors, including transport. Due to railway workers' strikes, Hilkov was relieved of his ministerial duties and appointed a member of the State Council, where he actively worked for four years until the end of his life. Mikhail Ivanovich Hilkov passed away on March 8, 1909, in St. Petersburg.