Anastaz Ivanovich Mikoyan ( 1895-1978)
Born in Sanain, Armenia, Mikoyan broke off studies to be a priest and instead joined the Russian Communist Party. After party work in Tiflis (Tbilisi) and Baku, he served in the Red Army during the revolution. He was a supporter of Stalin, against Trotsky, during the party disputes of the early 1920s, which earned him a place in the Central Committee in 1923. In 1926, he became commissar (minister) for domestic and foreign trade and then for the food industry. He was a member of the Presidium of the CPSU from 1935 to 1966. During the Second World War, Mikoyan directed the supplies of the army in the Defence Council. From 1937 to 1964, he was a deputy prime minister. After Stalin's death, Mikoyan supported Nikita Khrushchev. After Khrushchev's fall from power, he became head of state in 1964-5 and then a member of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet.
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