Zhigalin, Vladimir

Born Feb. 18 (Mar. 3), 1907, in Leningrad. Soviet statesman. Member of the CPSU since 1931. Son of an office employee.

Zhigalin graduated from Leningrad Mechanical Institute in 1931. From 1931 to 1940 he worked in Leningrad plants, as shop chief, production chief, chief engineer, and director of the Krasnyi Metallist Plant. He was section chief in the People’s Commissariat for Heavy Machine Building of the USSR from 1940 to 1945. From 1945 to 1957 he was deputy commissar, then deputy minister, of heavy machine building of the USSR. Zhigalin was deputy chairman, and then chairman, of the Moscow Municipal Sovnarkhoz (Council of the Economy) from 1957 to 1963. He was first deputy chairman of the Sovnarkhoz of the USSR from 1963 to 1965. Since 1965 he has been minister of heavy, power, and transport engineering of the USSR. Elected a candidate member of the Central Committee of the CPSU at the Twenty-second Party Congress in 1961, he was elected a member in November 1964. He was a deputy to the sixth to ninth convocations of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. Zhigalin has been awarded three Orders of Lenin, four other orders, and medals.