Jānis Vagris (17 October 1930 – 6 January 2023) was a Latvian politician. He served as the sixth Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic from 1985 to 1988, and as Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Latvia from 1988 to 1990.

Early life

Jānis Vagris was born on 17 October 1930 in Naudītes Parish, which is located in Latvia. He pursued his higher education at the

University of Latvia University of Latvia (, shortened ''LU'') is a public research university located in Riga, Latvia. The university was established in 1919. History The University of Latvia, initially named as the Higher School of Latvia () was founded on Se ...

, where he graduated from the Faculty of Mechanics. Additionally, Vagris attended the Higher Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, completing his studies there in 1955. These educational experiences likely provided him with a solid foundation in mechanics and political ideology, which would later contribute to his career in politics.

Career

Vagris then worked as an engineer at a factory in

Jelgava Jelgava () is a state city in central Latvia. It is located about southwest of Riga. It is the largest town in the Semigallia region of Latvia. Jelgava was the capital of the united Duchy of Courland and Semigallia (1578–1795) and was the ad ...

. During this time, Vagris also served as the deputy chairman of the executive committee of the city. Vagris joined the

Communist Party of the Soviet Union The Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU),. Abbreviated in Russian as КПСС, ''KPSS''. at some points known as the Russian Communist Party (RCP), All-Union Communist Party and Bolshevik Party, and sometimes referred to as the Soviet ...

in 1958. From 1966 to 1973, Vagris was the first and second secretary of the Liepājā city committee, after which he joined the

Communist Party of Latvia The Communist Party of Latvia (, LKP) was a political party in Latvia. History Latvian Social-Democracy prior to 1919 The party was founded at a congress in June 1904. Initially the party was known as the Latvian Social Democratic Workers' Party ...

. In 1978, Vagris was appointed as the first secretary of the Riga city committee. On 20 August 1985, he became the sixth chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic. On 4 October 1988, Vagris was promoted to the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Latvia. He made a speech at the

Mežaparks Great Bandstand The Mežaparks Great Bandstand (), also called the Song Festival Bandstand, Open-Air Stage (), is a large Open-air concert, open-air bandstand in Mežaparks (park), Mežaparks park in the Mežaparks, Mežaparks neighbourhood of Riga, the capital ...

, three days before the

Popular Front of Latvia The Popular Front of Latvia () was a political organisation in Latvia in the late 1980s and early 1990s which led Latvia to its independence from the Soviet Union. It was similar to the Popular Front of Estonia and the Sąjūdis movement in Li ...

's first congress. In 1989, Vagris was elected to the Congress of People's Deputies of the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

. On 7 April 1990, Vagris was succeeded by

Alfrēds Rubiks Alfrēds Rubiks (, ''Alfred Petrovich Rubiks''; born 24 September 1935), is a Latvian communist politician and a former leader of the Communist Party of Latvia. He was a Member of the European Parliament for Latvia from 2009 until 2014. In the ...

as secretary. In later evaluations, Vagris' role during the revival was revealed to be ambiguous.

Death

Vagris died on 6 January 2023, at the age of 92.

Awards

Order of the Three Stars Order of the Three Stars () is the highest civilian order awarded for meritorious service to Latvia. It was established in 1924 in remembrance of the founding of Latvia. Its motto is ''Per aspera ad astra'', meaning "Through hardships towards the ...

and the role of Officer (2010) * Orders of the October Revolution * Red Banner of Labour. * Meritorious Industrial Worker of the Latvian SSR.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vagris, Janis 1930 births 2023 deaths Members of the Central Auditing Commission of the 27th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Heads of state of the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic Heads of the Communist Party of Latvia Latvian engineers Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour People from Dobele Municipality University of Latvia alumni