Russian minister of finance (1823–44) under Nicholas I. An extreme fiscal conservative, he resisted most efforts to modernize the Russian state. He was created a count in 1829.

The son of a German mining engineer employed in Russia, Kankrin left Germany in 1797 to enter the service of the Russian government. He was appointed to the State Council in 1821, becoming finance minister in 1823. His administrative efforts were devoted largely to reducing budget deficits by limiting expenditures. Kankrin viewed with cynicism any governmental attempts to stimulate the economy, and he reduced credit to industry and refused to permit private banks. He viewed railroads as a dubious investment and opposed their construction, although some were built anyway. He did, however, sponsor a technical school to increase the supply of skilled mechanics for Russian industry. Although his name is associated with the Kankrin monetary reform of 1839–43, which established a monetary exchange rate between the silver ruble and the devalued paper assignat ruble, many historians believe that the reform was mostly the work of others. His successors continued his conservative policies until the reign of Alexander II.