Vasily Kuznetsov

Vasily Vasilyevich Kuznetsov ( _ru. Василий Васильевич Кузнецов; OldStyleDate|12 February|1901|31 Januaryndash 5 June, 1990), Russian Soviet political figure; acting chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet from 1982 to 1983, for a second time in 1984, and for a third time in 1985.

Kuznetsov was born in Sofilovka, Kostroma Province, Russian Empire. He joined the communist party in May 1927. He took a break of his studies of engineering when he went to the United States from 1931 to 1933.

Kuznetsov held a variety of government and Communist Party positions beginning in 1940. In 1955 he became first deputy minister of foreign affairs. In 1977 he was elected first deputy chairman of the Presidium of the USSR Supreme Soviet, a position he held until 1986. Upon the deaths of Leonid Brezhnev (1982), Yuri Andropov (1984) and Konstantin Chernenko (1984), Kuznetzov became acting chairman of the Presidiumndash the Soviet Union's acting head of state.

He retired in 1986 and died in Moscow on June 5, 1990.