Gustáv Husák

Gustáv Husák (UK: HOO-sak, US: HOO-sahk, HEW-; Slovak: [ˈɡustaːw ˈɦusaːk]; born Augustin Husák; 10 January 1913 – 18 November 1991) was a Slovak politician who served as the long-time First Secretary of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia from 1969 to 1987 and the President of Czechoslovakia from 1975 to 1989. Trained as a lawyer, Husák rose through the ranks of the prewar and wartime Communist Party of Czechoslovakia and played a leading role in the abortive Slovak National Uprising. He participated in the communist takeover of Czechoslovakia, but fell victim to a Stalinist purge in 1950.