Nie Rongzhen (1899-1992), a native of Jiangjin County, Sichuan Province, joined the CPC in 1923. He was a member of the Party's Seventh through Twelfth Central Committees and a member of the Political Bureaus of the Eighth, Eleventh and Twelfth. From 1956 to 1975 he was Vice-Premier of the State Council. From 1958 to 1967 he was also Minister in Charge of the Commission on Science and Technology for National Defence and Minister in Charge of the State Commission on Science and Technology. From 1959 to 1989 he was Vice-Chairman of the Military Commission of the CPC Central Committee. He was long in charge of research in science and technology and of the manufacture of sophisticated weapons. He was Vice-Chairman of the Standing Committees of the Fourth and Fifth National People's Congresses.