He went to Saint St. Petersburg in 1790 and six years later secured a post in the Department of Foreign Affairs. He became Undersecretary of State in 1801 under Alexander I in the newly created Imperial Council. He was made director of the Pedagogical Institute in 1811 and of the Lyceum at Tsarskoye Selo in 1816.
His liberalism, however, led to his removal in 1823.