In 1820, together with and Alexander Ivanovich Dmitriev-Mamonov, he became a founding patron of the "Society for the Encouragement of Artists" and served as its first chairman. He was also a farmer, making many improvements to an estate in Ryazan Governorate that he acquired from his wealthy mother-in-law, , and taking an active part in the affairs of the "Moscow Society of Agriculture". He published several essays on agricultural topics, attempted to improve the lives of farm laborers and experimented with new methods for tanning sheepskins. In 1826, he resigned his position as Secretary of State and retired permanently from public life, although he became an active member of the Free Economic Society. His place of death is not known for certain, but he is buried at the Tikhvin Cemetery in Saint Petersburg. In the early 20th-century, his estate was restored by the former Minister of Agriculture, Alexey Sergeyevich Yermolov, who was also a Society member and a distant relative on his mother's side of the family.