Count (1760) Roman Illarionovich (Larionovich) Vorontsov (1717–1783) was a Full Chamberlain (1746), General-Chef (1761), Senator (1760), Vladimir, Penza and Tambov Governor-General (1778–1783), one of the first figures of Russian Freemasonry.

In his youth, Roman Vorontsov served (1733) in the Life Guards Izmailovsky Regiment, in the 1730s, he supported the crown princess Elizaveta Petrovna, took part in the coup on November 25, 1741 (he took away members of the Braunschweig family from Saint Petersburg).

[2] With the advent of Peter III Fedorovich, his position at court was strengthened, since his daughter Elizaveta Romanovna was the favorite of the new emperor; on January 8, 1762, Roman Vorontsov received the rank of General-Chef.

The historian Prince Mikhail Shcherbatov wrote about him:[3] Count Roman Larionovich Vorontsov, throughout his life recognized as a bribe taker, was appointed governor of Vladimir and did not cease to make ordinary bribes.It came to the point that Catherine sent him a gift with a hint – a big wallet, which arrived just on his name day and, they say, acted upon him so much that he soon became ill and died on December 11, 1783.

In his printed articles, he pointed out ways to mitigate the morals of the peasantry, and, referring to his own example, suggested that the landowners organize annual grain stocks in the villages in case of crop failure.

The insistent advice of Count Roman Vorontsov to stock up on products fully justifies the nickname "big pocket".