Kliment Voroshilov

Kliment Voroshilov
Климент Ворошилов
Voroshilov in 1961
Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union
In office 15 March 1953 – 7 May 1960
General Secretary	Nikita Khrushchev
Preceded by	Nikolay Shvernik
Succeeded by	Leonid Brezhnev
People's Commissar for Defense of the Soviet Union
In office 31 October 1925 – 7 May 1940
Premier	Alexey Rykov Vyacheslav Molotov
Preceded by	Mikhail Frunze
Succeeded by	Semyon Timoshenko
Full member of the 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, and 20th Presidiums
In office 1 January 1926 – 16 July 1960
Personal details
Born	Kliment Yefremovich Voroshilov (1881-02-04)4 February 1881 Verkhneye, Bakhmut Uezd, Yekaterinoslav Governorate, Russian Empire
Died	2 December 1969(1969-12-02) (aged 88) Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Resting place	Kremlin Wall Necropolis, Moscow
Nationality	Russian
Political party	RSDLP (Bolsheviks) (1903–1918) Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks)/Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1918–1961, 1966–1969)
Spouse	Ekaterina Davidovna
Awards	Hero of the Soviet Union (twice) Hero of Socialist Labour Order of Lenin (eight times) Order of the Red Banner (six times) Order of Suvorov
Military service
Allegiance	Russian SFSR (1917–1922)  Soviet Union (1922–1969)
Branch/service	Red Army (1917-1946) Soviet Army (1946-1969)
Years of service	1917–1969
Rank	Marshal of the Soviet Union
Commands	North Caucasus Military District Moscow Military District Leningrad Front
Battles/wars	Russian Civil War Polish–Soviet War Chinese Civil War 1929 Sino-Soviet conflict World War II Winter War Great Patriotic War Operation Barbarossa Siege of Leningrad

Kliment Yefremovich Voroshilov (Russian: Климент Ефремович Ворошилов pronounced^ⓘ; Ukrainian: Климент Охрімович Ворошилов, Klyment Okhrimovych Voroshylov), popularly known as Klim Voroshilov (Russian: Клим Ворошилов; 4 February 1881^[1] – 2 December 1969), was a prominent Soviet military officer and politician during the Stalin-era. He was one of the original five Marshals of the Soviet Union, the second highest military rank of the Soviet Union (junior to the Generalissimus of the Soviet Union, which was a post only held by Joseph Stalin), and served as Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet, the nominal Soviet head of state, from 1953 to 1960.

Born to a Russian worker's family in Ukraine, Voroshilov took part in the Russian Revolution of 1917 as an early member of the Bolsheviks. He served with distinction at the Battle of Tsaritsyn, during which he became a close friend of Stalin. Voroshilov was elected to the Central Committee of the Communist Party in 1921, and in 1925 Stalin appointed him People's Commissar for Military and Navy Affairs (later People's Commissar for Defence). In 1926, he became a full member of the Politburo. In 1935, Voroshilov was named a Marshal of the Soviet Union.

At the outbreak of World War II, Voroshilov was held responsible for Soviet failures in Finland during the Winter War and was replaced as Defense Commissar by Semyon Timoshenko. Following the German invasion in June 1941, he was recalled and appointed to the State Defense Committee. Voroshilov failed to stop the German encirclement of Leningrad and was again relieved from his command in September 1941.

After the war, Voroshilov oversaw the establishment of a socialist regime in Hungary. Following Stalin's death in 1953, Voroshilov was appointed Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet. His fortunes declined during the rise of Nikita Khrushchev and the Supreme Soviet turned against him. He peacefully resigned in 1960, although he came out of retirement in 1966 and re-joined the party. Voroshilov died in 1969 at the age of 88.