The authors of this article consider separate stages of the biography of N.A. Semashko. There is an attempt to reconstruct on the basis of available publications and archival materials (personal fund of N.A. Semashko of the Museum of History of Medicine of I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, documents from the State Archive of the Russian Federation, the National Archive of the Republic of Tatarstan and the family archive of E.G. Farobina, granddaughter of N.A. Semashko) individual moments of life and activity of the first People’s Commissar of Health