Vartan Tigranovich Ter-Oganezov played a role in Soviet astronomy during the Stalinist period. This manuscript traces Ter-Oganezov's career beginning with his early days in the Commissariat of Education during the 1920s, and describes his takeover and redirection of the astronomy journal Mirovedenie in the 1930s. It recounts his ascent into most leading Soviet astronomy organizations, and examines his role during the Great Purges of 1936-1938. The paper continues with a description of Ter-Oganezov's gradual decline during the 1940s and his ultimate loss of influence over Soviet astronomy in the mid-1950s.