Paul P. Roudakoff, was born to the Russian noblesse ancienne as recorded in the imperial registers of Tver. A morganatic descendant of Catherine the Great, he was orphaned at the time of the Russian Civil War after his father, General, also named Paul Roudakoff, was wounded in battle, and his mother died of typhus five days later.
Retaining his assignment, he moved to the United States Department of State, serving through 1953. In 1923, Paul received a Military and Arts degree from the Russian Imperial Military Academy. Paul became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1930.
He attended and graduated from Hillyer Evening College (later part of chartering University of Hartford).
In the years 1924 through 1942, Paul worked as a purchasing agent, advertising manager, junior consultant, and account executive with the Life Insurance Sales Research Bureau. Paul married Borgny Bistrop (17 November 1899—July 1985) in October 1943.
They had one son, Victor (14 August 1944-1931 July 1979). Between 1942 and 1946 Paul joined the United States. Army, where he rose from the rank of 1st Lieutenant to Lieutenant
Colonel. He served with the Chicago Signal Depot from 1942 to 1945.
He ultimately took a commission in the army, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel after serving as Chief of the Liaison and Protocol Division at OMGUS in the divided city of Berlin following the Second World War. Following the end of the war, Roudakoff maintained his position at OMGUS, but transferred to civilian service (Department of State) in 1948.
In Paul"s memoir, appearing as part of Collier"s Magazine edition on Eisenhower"s meeting at the Potsdam Conference, 1945, with Marshal Zhukov (Paul is pictured with the two) he recounts translating Eisenhower"s words:
The whole world, a hopeful world, is watching us for a genuine indication of our generosity, of our ability to compromise and settle issues.
We must manage to agree here, for the sake of all nations involved. He retired (FSS-2) from the Department of State in 1953.
In later years, Roudakoff was a consultant for Pan American World Airways, Radio Corporation of America Corporation and Bechtel Corporation. He moved to San Francisco in 1991.
Paul was a member of the Connecticut National Guard from 1928 through 1942.
