Ivan Benediktov (russian: Ива́н Бенеди́ктов; 1902–1983) was a Soviet official who served in different posts, including people's commissars for agriculture, then minister of agriculture and Soviet ambassador to India and to Yugoslavia. He was a long-term member of the

central committee Central committee is the common designation of a standing administrative body of Communist party, communist parties, analogous to a board of directors, of both ruling and nonruling parties of former and existing socialist states. In such party org ...

of the Communist Party.

Early life and education

Benediktov was born in Vichuga, Kineshma district, Kostroma Oblast, on 23 March 1902. In the period 1920-1923 he attended the Pokrovsky workers' faculty in Moscow. From 1923 to 1927 he attended the Faculty of Economics at the

Timiryazev Agricultural Academy Timiryazev (russian: Тимиря́зев, links=no; masculine) or Timiryazeva (russian: Тимиря́зева, links=no; feminine) is a Turkic Russian last name. It may refer to: People * Arkady Timiryasev (1880-1955), Soviet physicist and philo ...

Career

Benediktov was the as deputy chief of the collective farm system in Uzbekistan. In 1930 he became a member of the Communist Party. He was appointed people's commissar of collective farms in the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR) in 1937 and Soviet commissar of agriculture in April 1938. In the latter post Benediktov succeeded Robert Eikhe and was in office until 1943. In 1939 Benediktov was appointed a member of the central committee, and his term ended in 1941. In 1952 he was again made the central committee member which he held until 1971. In 1946 Benediktov was appointed minister of agriculture, and his tenure ended in 1953 when he was named Soviet ambassador to India which he held for one year. In 1954 he was again appointed minister of agriculture. Due to criticisms he was removed from the office and appointed to the same post for the RSFSR. In 1959 he was again named the Soviet ambassador to India where he served until 1967. One of the most significant events during his diplomatic service in India was about the defection of

Svetlana Alliluyeva Svetlana Iosifovna Alliluyeva, born Stalina (); ka, სვეტლანა იოსების ასული ალილუევა () (28 February 1926 – 22 November 2011), later known as Lana Peters, was the youngest child and only ...

, Josef Stalin's daughter. She was there to finalize the funeral ceremony of her common law husband and Indian communist

Brajesh Singh Brajesh Singh ( hi, ब्रजेश सिंह, Kunwar Brijesh Singh or Brajesh Singh Lal; died 31 October 1966) was an Indian politician belonging to the Communist Party of India (CPI). He hailed from the royal family of Kalakankar near A ...

by dispersing his ashes into the river Ganges per the Indian traditions. After the ceremony she asked to have an official permission to stay there through the Soviet ambassador, Ivan Benediktov. However, her request was not accepted, and instead, she was ordered to return to the Soviet Union, but she did not return to her native country and defected to the United States. Benediktov's term ended in April 1967 shortly after the defection of Svetlana Alliluyeva, and he was appointed Soviet ambassador to Yugoslavia which he held until 1971.

Personal life and death

Benediktov died in Moscow on 30 July 1983 and was buried there in the

Novodevichy cemetery Novodevichy Cemetery ( rus, Новоде́вичье кла́дбище, Novodevichye kladbishche) is a cemetery in Moscow. It lies next to the southern wall of the 16th-century Novodevichy Convent, which is the city's third most popular tourist ...

Awards

Benediktov was the recipient of the following: Order of Lenin (four times), Order of the October Revolution, Order of the Red Banner of Labor (twice) and Order of Friendship of Peoples.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Benediktov, Ivan 1902 births 1983 deaths Ambassadors of the Soviet Union to India Ambassadors of the Soviet Union to Yugoslavia Burials at Novodevichy Cemetery People from Vichuga People from Kineshemsky Uyezd Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union members People's commissars and ministers of the Soviet Union People's commissars and ministers of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic Second convocation members of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union Fourth convocation members of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union Fifth convocation members of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union Members of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, 1938–1947 Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour