The article examines the activities of Alexander Semyonovich Shishkov in the spheres of naval and government service, as well as in literature and philology. From 1780 to 1810, he had a successful career, reaching the rank of admiral, and in 1812 he became the Secretary of State under Emperor Alexander I. During the war with Napoleon, Shishkov drafted the emperor’s famous Manifestos, rescripts, and orders. In these documents, Shishkov acted not as an official but as a publicist who mastered the high style of 18th-century literature. At the same time, he proved himself to be a talented writer. He translated specialized works on navigation and books for children, as well as works by Tasso, Petrarch, and Gessner. Shishkov’s main achievements as a philologist were in the fields of linguistics, particularly lexicology and lexicography. He expanded the linguistic base of national culture by including Old Church Slavonic, which he believed was necessary for literature as a source of spiritual traditions.