Sadi Carnot

Marie François Sadi Carnot (1837-1894), President of the French Third Republic, invoked by Ivan Ivanitch Bragin as a flattering point of comparison for the narrator's dignified bearing and appearance ('Your looks and bearing are like the French President Carnot's'), immediately before Ivan Ivanitch delivers his blunt verdict that the narrator's 'soul isn't the real thing.' A real historical figure, not invented by Chekhov, referenced only in passing.