Kamo (Ter-Petrosyan, Simon Arshakovich)

"Kamo" is a Party nickname; the real name is Ter-Petrosyan, Simon Arshakovich.

Professional revolutionist. Member of the Communist Party since 1901.

Born on May 15 (27), 1882, in the city of Gori, Georgia, in a family of a tradesman. Since 1901, distributed illegal literature in Tiflis, Baku, Batumi, Kutaisi, Gori, and other Transcaucasian cities, organized clandestine printeries. In November 1903, was arrested; in September 1904, fled the prison. In 1905, participated in organizing armed workers' detachments. During the armed confrontation between workers and soldiers in Tiflis in December 1905, led a detachment of armed workers and received five wounds in a battle with the Cossacks. Was arrested and imprisoned in Metekhi castle, tortured, but managed to escape. In March 1906, departed for St. Petersburg, where got acquainted with V.I. Lenin. By his orders, went abroad for purchasing and transporting guns to Russia. In order to provide the Party with financial means, organized a row of money expropriations from the czar's treasury in 1905-1907. In November 1907, was arrested in Berlin by German police; in order to avoid the hearings and extradition to czar's government, simulated insanity. In late 1909, was extradited to Russian police, imprisoned in Metekhi castle, and put to trial at a military tribunal. On August 15, 1911, escaped from the prison's hospital and left for Paris. At Lenin's request, arranged Party literature transportation to Russia. In 1912, returned to Russia, was arrested and sentenced to death, which was replaced with 20 years of penal servitude according to the 1913 amnesty; served this term in Kharkov penal servitude prison. In March 1917, was liberated. In December 1917, at S.G. Shaumyan's order, was dispatched from Baku to Petrograd with a letter for V.I. Lenin, and on January 8, 1918, delivered to Tbilisi letters from Lenin and RSFSR's People's Commissariat's decree appointing Shaumyan the Extraordinary Commissar of the Caucasus ad interim. In summer 1919, Lenin assigned Kamo to organize a guerilla detachment for operating behind the enemy lines and wrote to the Republic's Revolutionary Military Council that knew Kamo "...as a person of absolutely exceptional faithfulness, courage, and energy..." (Complete Works, 5th edition, vol. 51, p. 42). In 1919, Kamo created a guerilla detachment operating in Kursk and Oryol areas and later in the rear of general Denikin's troops in the South Front. In the same year, Kamo transported armaments and money in a fisherman boat by sea from Astrakhan to Baku for an underground Party organization and North Caucasus guerillas. In January 1920, was arrested in Tiflis by Menshevik government and exiled. In April 1920, participated in organizing an armed uprising to support the soviet power in Baku. In May 1920, arrived in Moscow to study in Military academy. In 1921, worked in external trade system. Since early 1922, worked in the Finance Commissariat of Georgia.

Died on July 14, 1922, in a car accident in Tiflis.