Dmitry Medvedev biography

Synopsis

Early Life

Politician. On September 14, 1965, Dmitry Medvedev was born to intellectual parents in Leningrad, Soviet Union (now St. Petersburg, Russia). His father taught science at the Leningrad State Institute of Technology, and his mother taught language at Herzen State Pedagogical University. She would later become a tour guide at Pavlovsk Palace near St. Petersburg. Medvedev had many interests as a child, and even went through a period in his early adolescence when he memorized all of Earth's geologic time periods. The two things he loved most, though, were sports and books. Medvedev was only in elementary school when he first met his future wife, Svetlana Linnick.

In 1982, Medvedev began studying law at Leningrad State University. He describes how he chose his major: "A number of my friends decided to enter technical universities...They suggested I do something to bring my maths and physics up to scratch, and so I...forc[ed] myself to attend extra classes, but these classes only further convinced me that this was just not my thing. In the end, somewhere around May, I decided I wanted to study something in the humanities, but could not decide...Finally, after talking with various people, including my parents, I decided that law was the only real choice, and I have never once regretted this choice." His decision to study law put Medvedev in contact with Professor Anatoly Sobchak, a democrat who would later be instrumental in involving Medvedev in the politics of his country. When he wasn't studying, Medvedev was listening to his favorite rock bands, including Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, and Black Sabbath. In 1987, Medvedev graduated with a law degree and top honors.

After graduating, Dmitry Medvedev had to decide whether to pursue post-graduate studies or start a professional career. Fortunately, "a miracle happened that hadn't been seen for decades. The chair of civil law, where I took specialization, was instructed to accept three budget-funded post-graduate students to work later at the chair itself." In this way, Medvedev was able to continue his studies while also having a guaranteed job. He specialized in private, corporate, and securities law.

Entry Into Politics

During Medvedev's post-graduate studies, the Berlin Wall came down, and the Soviet Union was put on track to become Russia once again. After completing his PhD in 1990, Dmitry Medvedev received a job offer from the aforementioned former professor Anatoly Sobchak, who was now the chairman of the Leningrad (soon to be St. Petersburg) city council. The job offered was as an adviser, and Medvedev accepted on the terms that he could also hold a position as a lecturer at his alma mater. Soon after Medvedev accepted the position, a former student of Sobchak's named Vladimir Putin also took a job under the newly elected chairman. Because Putin was older and had more experience, he was given the role of senior adviser and worked closely with Medvedev.

In 1991, Sobchak was elected mayor of St. Petersburg.