In paper the earlier not published data on destiny and creative activity of graduate of metallurgical faculty of Petrograd Polytechnical Institute namely Alexander Konstantinovich Van der Bellen (1891-1944) are given. On the basis of archival materials, rare and inaccessible publications, and also memoirs little-known pages of development of nonferrous metallurgy of the country at the beginning of the 20th century and during the postrevolutionary period are reflected.