Konstantin Nikolaevich Posyet (January 2, 1820 - April 26, 1899) was an outstanding figure in the Russian Navy, a general-adjutant, Minister of Transport, admiral, and member of the State Council. Despite his significant contributions to the development of Russia, he is unjustly little known today, although his name is better recognized in Japan.

Konstantin Posyet was born on December 21, 1819, in Pernov. His ancestor, the French nobleman Posyet de Rossie, arrived in Russia from France at the invitation of Peter I. Like many Russified Frenchmen, Posyet chose a naval career from an early age, becoming a cadet at the age of 11. In 1835, at the age of 16, he graduated with honors from the Naval Cadet Corps in St. Petersburg and began his service in the navy as a midshipman, specializing in naval artillery.

In 1852 and 1854, Posyet participated in Vice Admiral Putyatin's expedition to Japan on the frigate 'Pallada' as a senior officer and translator of documents for the Russo-Japanese (Shimoda) peace treaty. For this mission, he mastered Dutch and Japanese. Chronicles of this event are described in Ivan Goncharov's novel 'The Frigate Pallada.'

In 1858, at the rank of captain 1st class, Posyet was appointed tutor to Prince Alexei Alexandrovich, the son of Emperor Alexander II. An educated sailor and traveler, Posyet became the mentor of the future General Admiral of the Russian Navy. He undertook sea voyages with him in the Baltic Sea and along the coasts of Russia (1858, 1865), in the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean (1866-1868), led an expedition near Novaya Zemlya in 1870, and visited America, Canada, Singapore, China, Japan, and Eastern Siberia on the frigate 'Svetlana' in 1871.

In October 1874, as an admiral of the Russian Navy, Posyet was appointed Minister of Transport. In this position, he actively developed Russia's infrastructure, including seaports in St. Petersburg, Novorossiysk, and Feodosia. The deepening of the Volga estuary allowed ships to enter Astrakhan. Under his leadership, railways were first governed by the Railway Statute (1888), which facilitated tariff regulation. More than a third of all railways in Russia at that time were built during Posyet's tenure.

His activities as Minister of Transport led to him being awarded the title of Honorary Citizen of Tyumen. He approved the project for the Ural-Siberian railway, but it was decided to build only the Yekaterinburg-Tyumen section. On October 6, 1885, the Tyumen City Duma resolved to award him the title of 'Honorary Citizen of the City of Tyumen.' In response, Posyet attended the celebration of the city's 300th anniversary and on July 28, 1886, he was present at the consecration of the railway in Kamyshlov, after which he was ceremoniously presented with a diploma awarding him the title in Tyumen.