Yury Vladimirovich Andropov, (born June 15 [June 2, Old Style], 1914, Nagutskoye, Russia—died Feb 9, 1984, Moscow), head of the Soviet Union’s KGB (State Security Committee) from 1967 to 1982 and his country’s leader as general secretary of the Communist Party’s Central Committee from November 1982 until his death 15 months later.
Retouched photograph of Yury V. Andropov.AFP/Getty Images
The son of a railway worker, Andropov was a telegraph operator, film projectionist, and boatman on the Volga River before attending a technical college and, later, Petrozavodsk University. He became an organizer for the Young Communist League (Komsomol) in the Yaroslav region and joined the Communist Party in 1939. ... (100 of 328 words)
