Vannikov, Boris Lvovich

Born Aug. 26 (Sept. 7), 1897, in Baku; died Feb. 22, 1962, in Moscow. Soviet party and state figure; colonel general of artillery engineers. Three times Hero of Socialist Labor (1942, 1949, 1954) for contributions to the development of the defense industry and of machine building. Born into the family of a worker. Member of the CPSU from 1919.

Vannikov fought in the Civil War in the Caucasus. From 1920 he worked in a responsible position in the People’s Commissariat of Workers’ and Peasants’ Inspectorate of the USSR and simultaneously studied at the Bauman Moscow Higher Technical School. From 1926 he was director of the Tula and Perm’ machine-building plants. In 1937 he was appointed deputy people’s commissar of the USSR defense industry; in 1939, people’s commissar; and in June 1941, deputy people’s commissar of armament of the USSR. From 1942 to 1946 he was people’s commissar of munitions of the USSR. From 1946 he was occupied with responsible work in the Council of Ministers of the USSR related to the management of the defense industry. He was first deputy minister of medium machine building of the USSR in 1953-58. Vannikov was elected a member of the Central Committee of the CPSU at the 18th, 19th, and 20th Party Congresses. He was a deputy to the second convocation of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. He received the State Prize of the USSR twice (1951, 1953). He was awarded six Orders of Lenin, two other orders, and various medals. He is buried in Red Square by the Kremlin wall.