Minister of Social Protection of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic (Russian: Министр социальной защиты Армянской Советской Социалистической Республики/Armenian: ՀՀ Սոցիալիստական Հանրապետության Սոցիալական պաշտպանության նախարար) was a government and state position in the Ministry of Social Protection of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic or Armenian SSR, the position was formed 1920, when Armenia became part of the Soviet Union. It became important state institution for citizens in the Soviet region.
Ministers
Haykaz Arshak Kostanyan (1897–1938)
Haykaz Kostanyan was born in Tbilisi, in 1897. He went to Nersisian school in Tbilisi, studied at Gevorgian Seminary in Etchmiadzin, graduated from the Medical Department of Saratov University. He was a member of the Communist Party, and a member of the RSDRP (Russian Social Democratic Labour Party) since 1916. In 1915–1916, Kostanyan took part in Bolshevik activities in Vagharshapat. He was also appointed the Commissar of Enlightenment in Saratov. In 1920, Haykaz Kostanyan was elected a member of the CPA (Communist Party of Armenia) Foreign Bureau of the Armenian Committee of RCP(b). In 1920–1921, during the Soviet Regime, he was appointed the Armenian SSR People's Commissar of Social Security, then People's Commissar of Internal Affairs. In the years 1923 to 1925, Kostanyan worked in the Central Committee of Georgia, headed the Staff Department of Profintern in Moscow (1925–1928), took part in the Trade Union International Movement, was the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Armenia (1926–1930). From 1931 to 1934, Kostanyan was appointed the first secretary of the Crimea Regional Committee of the Orgburo and the Executive Secretary of Profintern. Moreover, he headed the Political Department of Moscow-Kursk Railway. Haykaz Kostanyan was falsely imprisoned and fusilladed but was subsequently acquitted.
Drastamat Asqanaz Ter-Simonyan (1895–1937)
Drastamat Ter-Simonyan, born in the village of Hamamlu (now Spitak), Armenia in the family of social democrats (Hunchakian Party), was a party man, a state figure, a journalist and a publicist. Ter-Simonyan has been a member of RSDRP since 1913. In 1912, he finished Nersisian school in Tbilisi, entered the Department of Economics at the Institute of Commerce in Kiev. During World War I, he carried out organizational activities among soldiers on the Western Front as well as among reserve soldiers of Siberia. After the October Revolution, he worked in the RSFSR People's Commissariat of National Affairs, and in the Supply Area of Red Army starting from September, 1918. In 1913, Drastamat worked for the Students’ social-democratic organization (Bolshevik Faction). In the same year Drastamat Ter-Simonyan was arrested and beaten for having taken part in the demonstration and strike on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Taras Shevchenko. In 1914, during the Russo-Turkish War he used to make declarations at student meetings against Armenian Volunteer Movements. In 1915, he entered the Subalterns’ College via students’ recruitment, then was sent to the Reserve Regiment, later on to the Front. In late 1919, Drastamat Ter-Simonyan moved to Tbilisi, and only after having participated in the editing and publishing works of such newspapers as “Pahak”, “Nor Ughi”, he came to Armenia. Ter-Simonyan was one of the leaders in the May Rebellion in Armenia against the bourgeois government. In December 1920, Ter-Simonyan was appointed the ArmSSR People's Commissar for Social Security, then People's Commissar of Enlightenment. In summer 1921, Drastamat Ter-Simonyan occupied the position of the Extraordinary Commissar of Zangezur. He held very many positions: Secretary of the Yerevan Committee of Armenian Communist Party, a member of the Presidium, Editor of Parisian newspaper called “Yerevan” (1928), the first Chairman of the Writers’ Union, Editor of the newspaper “Nor Ughi”, Head of the Yerevan City Council and so on. In 1932, Drastamat Ter-Simonyan was appointed the Chief Editor of the Armenian Soviet Encyclopedia. In the academic years 1934 to 1935 and 1935 to 1936, he headed the Chair of Leninism and the Party, as well as read lectures there. On August 10, 1936, he was expelled from the Communist Party by the majority votes of the Central Committee members. Drastamat Ter-Simonyan was falsely imprisoned, yet posthumously acquitted.
Arshak Michael Khachikyan (Khachiev) (1874–1935)
Arshak Khachikyan was born in Baku, in 1874. He was a professional revolutionary, a party member and a Soviet worker. He started working at tobacco factory at the age of 11, went to school which had only two classes, finished it and started working as a typesetter, then he joined the workmen's group. In 1895, Khachikyan was arrested for having printed anti-government leaflets. In 1901, he became a member of the Social-Democratic grouping organized in Baku. He has been a member of RSDRC since 1902, but was arrested a year after having published illegal materials. He was imprisoned for 6 months and, afterwards was exiled to Central Asia. In 1904, Khachikyan took part in the activities of a small group called Esers in Ashgabat, as a result of which the latter became of a social-democratic orientation. In 1905, Khachikyan was arrested; only after two years of imprisonment he was back to Baku. Later, in 1910, 1913 and 1915, Arshak Khachikyan was rearrested for his revolutionary activities. In 1918, Stepan Shahumyan assigned Khachiev to head the printing industry of Baku. In 1921, being sent to Armenia on a business trip, Khachikyan was appointed the ArmSSR People's Commissar for Social Security (April 1921 – 1923). He was also the Chairman of the Council of Trade Unions of Armenia, a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party. After the foundation of Transfederation, he moved to Tbilisi and was assigned the authorized Deputy of the Transcaucasia Railway of People's Commissariat of USSR Communication Routes, where he continued working till the end of his life. Arshak Khachikyan died in Tbilisi, in 1935.
Khoren Gregory Hovsepyan (1892–1937)
Khoren Hovsepyan was born in Kirovabad, in 1892. He worked as a pharmacist for eight years. Hovsepyan has been a member of the Communist Party since 1917. In 1904–1911, he studied at secondary school in Kirovabad. In 1917, he passed his pharmaceutical exam at the Medical Faculty of Saratov University and got his degree as a pharmacist's assistant. In the period of 1916–1917, Hovsepyan was the director of a pharmacy, a pharmacist on the Caucasian Front, in the Cities Union of Khoy, Bayazet, Van in Turkey and Persia. From June to December, 1920 Khoren Hovsepyan presided the Bureau of Trade Unions in Kirovabad. Then, till June 1922 he occupied the position of Deputy Chairman of the Council of Trade Unions. Hovsepyan was in charge of food in the army on Ghamaghlu Front (February–June 1921, decision made by the Armenian Revolutionary Committee). Khoren Hovsepyan held the following positions: Deputy People's Commissar of Labor (1922–1923), ArmSSR People's Commissar of Labor and Social Security (1923–1928), Deputy Chairman of State Planning (1928–1931), Chairman of State Planning (1931), President of the Regional Executive Committee in Kapan (1931–1933), Head of Alaverdi Copper Factory (1933–1935), People's Commissar of Local Industry (1935). In 1937, he was removed from the position of People's Commissar as well as from the Party. Khoren Hovsepyan was fusilladed for his counter-revolutionary activities in 1937.
Effendi Bala Ibrahimoghly (1893–1938)
Effendi Bala Ibrahimoghly was born in the village of Chaikend (Dilijan Province). He went to school in Dashkesan from 1907 to 1911. In 1911–1917, he worked in Baku oil wells and joined the Bolshevik Party in 1917. In 1918, Ibrahimoghly undertook various party and soviet activities in the Community of Baku. In 1919, Effendi settled in his hometown. He went back to Azerbaijan in 1920, after the establishment of the Soviet Power and was appointed the Head of the Militia in Gyandga, then the Head of the executive committee of Shamkhor Province. In July 1921, Effendi Bala Ibrahimoghly was sent to Armenia and assigned the Deputy People's Commissar of Internal Affairs. In the period of April 1922 to August 1927, he was the Head of the Turk Department of the Central Committee of the Armenian Communist Party, and the Head of department dealing with National Minorities till May 1928. He held the position of the ArmSSR People's Commissar for Social Security from May 1928 till March 1929. In March 1929, they sent him on a business trip to Azerbaijan. There he occupied various positions. Ibrahimoghly was a member of the ArmSSR Central Executive Committee. He was shot dead in 1938.
Ali Taghi-Zade Alioghly (1883–1966)
Ali Taghi-zade Alioghly was born in Tbilisi, in 1883. He was a Turk by nationality with no higher education and worked as a painter until 1914. In October 1906, he joined the Bolshevik Party. During the Iranian war, Ali was an agitator and supplied weapons to Iran. In the period of 1907–1908, he was arrested several times for agitation against the monarchy. In 1917–1920, Ali Taghi-zade Alioghly was the secretary of Bolshevik Faction called Adalet. Ali Taghi-zade Alioghly led the sheep cooperative in Tbilisi (1925–1927). He also held the following positions: A member of Supreme Court in Georgia (1927–1928), Head of Transcaucasia State Trade Affairs Department, Georgia (1928–1929), People's Commissar of Labor and Social Affairs in Armenia (1929–1932), a member of Plenum, a member of Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist party of the ArmSSR. In 1936, he was awarded with a service medal of the ArmSSR Labor Flag. In 1938, he was removed from the party and was arrested as an enemy of the people, a counter-revolutionary. In 1940, Ali Taghi-zade Alioghly was set free because of the case suspension.
Artem Poghos Aghamalyan (1882–1937)
Artem Aghamalyan was born in Shushi. He was a locksmith, a laborer. At first, he worked as a forger's pupil, thereupon as a locksmith. In 1917, he became a member of the Communist Party. In 1897, Artem Aghamalyan left for Baku and worked in numerous productions as a locksmith. In 1903, he joined the Hunchakyan Party but in a few years, along with some friends he switched to anarchist-communists. After having worked a year and a half for that organization and having committed eight terroristic acts (he personally killed Jgenia, the former Mayor of Baku) joined the Bolshevik Party in 1907. Thus, he was elected a member of the Regional Committee of the Party. Aghamalyan secretly imported literature and leaflets from Iran. In 1913, Artem Aghmalyan was left out of the Party ranks for some unknown reason. In 1917, he again joined the Communist Party and took an active part in the Civil War of Baku along with the Red Guard. From then on the Party assigned him to transfer large amounts of money and deal with counter-intelligence works. In 1920, Aghamalyan participated in May Revolt in Gyumri and was arrested before the Soviet Union was established. He was elected the Head of the Regional Committee of Gyumri Depot and occupied the post until 1925. In 1925, he moved to Yerevan, was the Vice President of the Chemical Trust, later the Head of the Mechanical Factory. He worked in Dzoraguess, Qanaqerguess. In 1933, Artem Aghamalyan was appointed the People's Commissar of Labor and Social Security and occupied the position till December, 1935. He occupied the position of the Director of Gastronome store branch in Armenia (December 1935). He has been a member of City Council in Gyumri since 1929 and a member of Yerevan City Council since 1935.