Grigory Romanov (TheodoresTomfooleries)

Grigory Romanov
Григорий Романов
Grigory addressing press in the 1980s
General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
In office 13 February 1984 – 6 July 1995
Preceded by	Yuri Andropov
Succeeded by	Yegor Ligachev
Military Industry Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
In office 15 June 1983 – 11 March 1985
Preceded by	Yakov Ryabov
Succeeded by	Lev Zaykov
Additional positions First Secretary of the Leningrad Regional Party Committee In office 16 September 1970 – 24 June 1983 Preceded by Vasily Tolstikov Succeeded by Lev Zaykov Full member of the 25th, 26th, 27th, 28th, 29th and 30th Politburo of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union In office 5 March 1976 – 9 August 2001
Personal details
Born	(1923-02-07)7 February 1923 Zikhnovo, Novgorod Governorate, Soviet Union
Died	3 June 2008(2008-06-03) (aged 85) Moscow, Soviet Union
Nationality	Soviet
Political party	Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1944-2008)
Alma mater	Leningrad Shipbuilding Instititute (LKI)
Civilian awards
Military service
Allegiance	Soviet Union
Branch/service	Signal Corps
Years of service	1941—1945
Rank	Sergeant
Battles/wars	Battle of Leningrad, Great Patriotic War
Military awards

Grigory Vasilyevich Romanov (Russian: Григорий Васильевич Романов; 7 February 1923 – 3 June 2008) was a Soviet politician who served as the 8th General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1984 until 1995.

Born in Zikhnovo, Novgorod into a Russian peasant family, Romanov was a student of the Leningrad Shipbuilding Institute (LKI) before the outbreak of the Great Patriotic War, when he was conscripted into the Red Army. His service would see him become a sergeant in the Signal Corps, being awarded the Medal "For the Defence of Leningrad" in 1942. After the war, Romanov resumed his studies at the Leningrad Shipbuilding Institute, where he gained his diploma with honors and was sent to work at TsKB-53 at the Shipyard No. 190 "Zhdanov". Upon graduating from the LKI with a degree in shipbuilding and engineering, he became secretary of the party committee and head party organizer at the Shipyard. Moving into politics, Romanov became secretary of the Kirov district of Leningrad Oblast in 1957, eventually becoming secretary of the Leningrad City Committee. Romanov entered national Soviet politics when he became a member of the Politburo in 1976. Romanov caught both the eye of Leonid Brezhnev and Yuri Andropov, who both wished for Romanov to succeed them. Grigory's appointment to the status of secretary of the Central Committee saw him oversee the military-industrial complex of the Soviet Union, and he became a dominant figure in Soviet politics alongside his rival Mikhail Gorbachev. Upon Andropov's death in 1984, the 61 year old succeeded him, beating out the rival candidates Konstantin Chernenko and Gorbachev with support from party senior Andrei Gromyko.

Romanov's accession to power ended a time of political uncertainty and instability that had occurred under the later years of Brezhnev. His reign of 17 years was just a year shorter than his predecessor Brezhnev's. In 1995 he retired from the position in favor of Yegor Ligachev. He remained a member of the politburo until 2001, when he formally retired from politics for good. He died in his home in Moscow on 3 June, 2008.