Count Alexander Nikitich Panin, born in Moscow on March 22, 1791, and died there on February 15, 1850, was a prominent landowner from the Panin family. He held the position of actual state councilor and headed the 1st department of the Imperial Moscow Society of Agriculture. Panin was the owner of the Dugino estate and the elder brother of Viktor Panin.

Alexander Panin, the eldest son of Count Nikita Petrovich and Countess Sofia Vladimirovna Panin, received his education first at home, then under the guidance of Abbot Makart, and later in one of the Petersburg boarding schools. He began his service on May 15, 1809, in the Moscow archive of the Collegium of Foreign Affairs, but resigned on August 17, 1812, and soon joined the Moscow militia as a ensign at his father's request.

Participating in the battles of 1812 and 1814, Panin distinguished himself in the Battle of Borodino and was promoted to lieutenant. For his fight near Maloyaroslavets, he received the Anninsky weapon. In 1813, transferred to the Pskov Cuirassier Regiment, Panin proved himself at Leipzig and was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir, 4th class. In 1814, for participating in night sorties near Hamburg, he became a staff captain. Later, he served in the Ekaterinoslav and Glukhov Cuirassier Regiments, and on May 1, 1825, he retired with the rank of colonel.

After a five-year break in service, on April 27, 1830, Panin, at the suggestion of Emperor Nicholas I, became an official for special assignments under the overseer of the Moscow educational district, Prince S. M. Golitsyn. He was tasked with overseeing Moscow University and private male boarding schools. Count Panin was known for his strict formalism and was well-acquainted with the composition of university faculty, as evidenced by his "Memorandum on the Professors of Moscow University."

On April 27, 1833, Panin was appointed assistant overseer of the Kharkov educational district, and on June 3, 1838, he became a member of the Main Administration of Schools with a promotion to actual state councilor. However, personal matters forced him to retire on November 30, 1839. In the same year, he became a member of the Moscow Society of Agriculture and headed the 1st department, which dealt with educational works on agriculture.

Count Panin was known for his knowledge in botany and agronomy, which he applied in his Dugino estate. He also participated in the activities of the Moscow Society of Garden Lovers. In Moscow, he led an active social life, hosting balls and masquerades in his house on Nikitskaya Street.

Panin maintained close relations with V. V. Passek and offered him a position as a professor at Kharkov University. T. P. Passek spoke warmly of the count for his involvement in her family's fate. Alexander Nikitich Panin passed away on February 15, 1850, and was buried in the Don Monastery.