Short answers, pulled from the story.
Gavrila Derzhavin, born on the 14th of July 1743, was one of the most highly esteemed Russian poets before Alexander Pushkin. He was also a statesman who rose to become Minister of Justice under Catherine the Great. His odes, including "God" (1785), were translated into many European languages, and he wrote the lyrics for Russia's first national anthem, "Let the thunder of victory sound!"
Derzhavin's major odes include "On the Death of Prince Meschersky" (1779), the "Ode to Felica" (1782), "God" (1785), "Waterfall" (1794), and "Bullfinch" (1800), a poignant elegy on the death of his friend Suvorov. "God" was translated into many European languages and is considered among his loftiest works.
Derzhavin served as governor of Olonets in 1784 and governor of Tambov in 1785. He became personal secretary to Empress Catherine the Great in 1791, then President of the College of Commerce in 1794, and finally Minister of Justice in 1802, from which he was dismissed in 1803.
In 1800, Derzhavin wrote the Opinion in response to a request by Emperor Paul I to investigate famines in Mogilev Governorate. It proposed restricting the freedoms of local magnates, abolishing the Jewish Qahal, and resettling Russian Jews in colonies along the Black Sea. The Opinion became an influential document during the early reign of Alexander I, who implemented several of its suggested reforms in the 1804 Statute Concerning the Organization of the Jews.
Nikolai Nekrasov professed to follow Derzhavin rather than Pushkin. Derzhavin's line of broken rhythms was continued in the 20th century by Marina Tsvetaeva. The critic D. S. Mirsky described his poetry as "a universe of amazing richness," though he also noted that Derzhavin was of no use as a master because his style was impossible to follow directly.
Derzhavin was born in the Kazan Governorate, and his exact birthplace is disputed between the city of Kazan and estates in Sokury or Karmachi in Laishevsky County. He died on the 20th of July 1816 and was originally buried at the Khutyn Monastery near Zvanka. He was reburied by the Soviets in the Novgorod Kremlin and later reinterred at Khutyn.