Vasily Kuznetsov (politician)

Vasily Kuznetsov
Василий Кузнецов
Official portrait, 1980s
Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union
Acting 10 March 1985 – 27 July 1985
Preceded by	Konstantin Chernenko
Succeeded by	Andrei Gromyko
Acting 9 February 1984 – 11 April 1984
Preceded by	Yuri Andropov
Succeeded by	Konstantin Chernenko
Acting 10 November 1982 – 16 June 1983
Preceded by	Leonid Brezhnev
Succeeded by	Yuri Andropov
First Deputy Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union
In office 7 October 1977 – 18 June 1986
President	Leonid Brezhnev Yuri Andropov Konstantin Chernenko Andrei Gromyko
Preceded by	Position re-established
Succeeded by	Pyotr Demichev
Personal details
Born	(1901-02-13)13 February 1901 Sofilovka, Varnavinsky Uyezd, Kostroma Governorate, Russian Empire
Died	5 June 1990(1990-06-05) (aged 89) Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Resting place	Novodevichy Cemetery
Nationality	Soviet
Political party	Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1927–1986)
Spouse	Zoya Igumnova [ru] (m. 1926; died 1988)
Children	Era, Elena, Valery and Alexander
Education	Carnegie Mellon University (1918–1921) Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University (1921–1926)
Central institution membership 1952–1956: Member of the 19th Presidium 1952–1986: Member of the 19th, 20th, 22nd, 23rd, 24th, 25th, 26th and 27th Congresses of the Central Committee of CPSU 1946–1952: Member of the Organization Bureau of the 18th Congress 1952–1953: Member of the Standing Commissions under the Presidium of the CPSU Central Committee [ru] 1976–1986: Candidate member of the 25th, 26th and 27th Politburo of CPSU 1946–1986: Member of the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th & 11th Convocations of the Soviet of Nationalities 1945–1953: Member of the General Council of the Executive Committee[1] 1980–1986: Member of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian SFSR Other political offices held 1946–1950: 2nd Chairman of the Soviet of Nationalities 1955–1977: First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs 1953–1955: Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs 10 Mar.–3 Dec. 1953: Ambassador to People's Republic of China 1944–1953: 5th Chairman of the All-Union Central Council of Trade Unions 1940–1944: Deputy Chairman of the USSR State Planning Committee 1945–1955: Vice Chairman of the World Federation of Trade Unions[2] 1943–1944: Chairman of the Central Committee of the Trade Union of Ferrous Metallurgy Workers of the Center[3]

Vasily Vasilyevich Kuznetsov (Russian: Васи́лий Васи́льевич Кузнецо́в; 13 February [O.S. 31 January] 1901 – 5 June 1990) was a Russian Soviet politician who acted as Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union from 1982 to 1983 (after the death of Brezhnev), for a second time in 1984 (after the death of Andropov), and for a third time in 1985 (after the death of Chernenko). He was one of the oldest members of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union was formally the highest state post. During the term of office, Kuznetsov was 81–82, 82–83, and 84 years old, respectively. He is the oldest head of the Soviet and Russian state in history (he was older than all three predecessors in this post).