Boris Zhemchuzhin

Born Dec. 30, 1896 (Jan. 11, 1897), in Shlissel’burg, present-day Petrokrepost’; died May 1918, in Helsinki. Russian revolutionary. Member of the Communist Party from 1915.

Zhemchuzhin studied at the Technological Institute in St. Petersburg. In 1916 he became a member of the St. Petersburg Bolshevik Committee. He wrote and published a series of revolutionary leaflets and was arrested a number of times. After the February Revolution of 1917 he was engaged in party work in the Baltic fleet. Zhemchuzhin was one of the founders and editors of the newspaper Golos Pravdy (Voice of Truth) in Kronstadt and later of Volna (Wave) in Helsinki. After the latter was suppressed he was editor ofPriboi (Surf). He became commissar of the regional committee of the army, navy, and workers of Finland in Tornio in October 1917. After Finland was granted independence in December 1917, Zhemchuzhin was commissar in charge of the evacuation of troops and military impedimenta to Russia. He was arrested by Finnish White Guards in Helsinki on May 8, 1918, and subsequently shot.