List of heads of state of the Soviet Union
List of heads of state
Of the eleven individuals appointed head of state, three died in office of natural causes (Leonid Brezhnev, Yuri Andropov and Konstantin Chernenko), one held the position in a temporary role (Vasili Kuznetsov), and four held posts of party leader and head of state simultaneously (Brezhnev, Andropov, Chernenko and Mikhail Gorbachev).

List of heads of state of the Soviet Union

Section Title: List of heads of state
Table Section Text: Of the eleven individuals appointed head of state, three died in office of natural causes (Leonid Brezhnev, Yuri Andropov and Konstantin Chernenko), one held the position in a temporary role (Vasili Kuznetsov), and four held posts of party leader and head of state simultaneously (Brezhnev, Andropov, Chernenko and Mikhail Gorbachev).

№	Name (Birth–Death)	Portrait	Term of office	Convocations

1

Chairman of the Central Executive Committee of the Congress of Soviets (1922–1938)

Mikhail Kalinin (1875–1946)	-	30 December 1922 – 12 January 1938	1st–8th Convocation

Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet (1938–1989)

Mikhail Kalinin (1875–1946)	-	17 January 1938 – 19 March 1946	1st Convocation

2	Nikolay Shvernik (1888–1970)	A picture taken by the Soviet Government of Nikolai Shvernik in grey	19 March 1946 – 15 March 1953	2nd–3rd Convocation

3	Kliment Voroshilov (1881–1969)	A photo taken in 1937 of Kliment Voroshilov	15 March 1953 – 7 May 1960	3rd–5th Convocation

4	Leonid Brezhnev (1906–1982)	An official portrait of Leonid Brezhnev dating back to 1977	7 May 1960 – 15 July 1964	5th–6th Convocation

5	Anastas Mikoyan (1895–1978)	-	15 July 1964 – 9 December 1965	6th Convocation

6	Nikolai Podgorny (1903–1983)	Nikolai Podgorny as depicted during his visit to the German Democratic Republic in 1963	9 December 1965 – 16 June 1977	6th–9th Convocation

(4)	Leonid Brezhnev (1906–1982)	An official portrait of Leonid Brezhnev dating back to 1977	16 June 1977 – 10 November 1982	9th–10th Convocation

—	Vasili Kuznetsov (1901–1990)	Kuznetzov 43062X8X18.JPG	10 November 1982 – 16 June 1983	10th Convocation

7	Yuri Andropov (1914–1984)	-	16 June 1983 – 9 February 1984

—	Vasili Kuznetsov (1901–1990)	Kuznetzov 43062X8X18.JPG	9 February 1984 – 11 April 1984	11th Convocation

8	Konstantin Chernenko (1911–1985)	-	11 April 1984 – 10 March 1985

—	Vasili Kuznetsov (1901–1990)	Kuznetzov 43062X8X18.JPG	10 March 1985 – 27 July 1985

9	Andrei Gromyko (1909–1989)	Gromyko at the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe	27 July 1985 – 1 October 1988

10	Mikhail Gorbachev (1931–)	-	1 October 1988 – 25 May 1989	11th–12th Convocation

Chairman of the Supreme Soviet (1989–1990)

Mikhail Gorbachev (1931–)	-	25 May 1989 – 15 March 1990	12th Convocation

President (1990–1991)

Mikhail Gorbachev (1931–)	-	15 March 1990 – 25 December 1991	12th Convocation

Sentence(s)

Shvernik was the Soviet head of state.

final_sentence: Shvernik was the Soviet head of state.