This article examines the biography and work of the outstanding Soviet political scientist S.S. Kravchuk. Based on archival materials and the memoirs of his student the article recounts the key milestones of his career. It is established that one of S.S. Kravchuk's teachers was E.B. Pashukanis, who described him as a promising student. His years of study at the Institute of Red Professors played a special role in the scholar's life. It is noted that hundreds of doctors and candidates of law in Russia are successors to S.S. Kravchuk. It is concluded that, in terms of the significance of his legal legacy, S.S. Kravchuk can be considered one of the patriarchs of Soviet state law.