Arturs Alberings (8 January 1876 – 26 April 1934) was the 6th

Prime Minister of Latvia The prime minister of Latvia ( lv, ministru prezidents) is the most powerful member of the Government of Latvia, who presides over the Latvian Cabinet of Ministers. The officeholder is nominated by the president of Latvia, but must be able to obta ...

. He held office from 7 May 1926 to 18 December 1926.

Personal life

Alberings was born on 8 January 1876 to a family of farmers in

Rūjiena Rūjiena (; german: Rujen; et, Ruhja) is a town in Valmiera Municipality, in the Vidzeme region of Latvia. As of 2017 its population was 3,007. Geography The town is located in northern Latvia, near the border with Estonia, in the historical regi ...

Kreis Wolmar Kreis is the German word for circle. Kreis may also refer to: Places * , or circles, various subdivisions roughly equivalent to counties, districts or municipalities ** Districts of Germany (including and ) ** Former districts of Prussia, als ...

, in the

Governorate of Livonia The Governorate of Livonia, also known as the Livonia Governorate, was a Baltic governorate of the Russian Empire, now divided between Latvia and Estonia. Geography The shape of the province is a fairly rectangular in shape, with a maximum ...

. His father was Virķēni "Klāvās. After graduating from Vilkene Primary School and Kharkiv Agricultural High School, he studied

agronomy Agronomy is the science and technology of producing and using plants by agriculture for food, fuel, fiber, chemicals, recreation, or land conservation. Agronomy has come to include research of plant genetics, plant physiology, meteorology, and ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

, and also improved his knowledge of fish farming in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. In

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

, he worked as the director of the School of Agriculture and Fish Farming, as well as the manager of manors. After returning to Latvia, he started leading courses at the Riga Central Agricultural Association, and he founded and managed animal monitoring associations in the

and

Valmiera Valmiera (; german: link=no, Wolmar; pl, Wolmar see other names) is the largest city of the historical Vidzeme region, Latvia, with a total area of . As of 2002, Valmiera had a population of 27,323, and in 2020 – 24 879. It is a state city ...

areas. After the

February Revolution The February Revolution ( rus, Февра́льская револю́ция, r=Fevral'skaya revolyutsiya, p=fʲɪvˈralʲskəjə rʲɪvɐˈlʲutsɨjə), known in Soviet historiography as the February Bourgeois Democratic Revolution and somet ...

in 1917, Alberings began to be involved in politics. In August, 1918, he was elected a member of the Vidzeme Land Council. In November, as a representative of the

Latvian Farmers Union The Latvian Farmers' Union ( lv, Latvijas Zemnieku savienība, LZS) is an agrarian political party in Latvia. Initially formed in 1917 during the period of Latvian War of Independence, it was banned in 1934. It was re-established in 1990. It i ...

, he became a member of the

People's Council of Latvia The People's Council of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Tautas padome, LTP) was a temporary council which declared Latvia's independence on November 18, 1918 and then acted as the temporary parliament of the country until a Constitutional Assembly was elect ...

Political career

Alberings was elected to the

Constitutional Assembly A constituent assembly (also known as a constitutional convention, constitutional congress, or constitutional assembly) is a body assembled for the purpose of drafting or revising a constitution. Members of a constituent assembly may be elected b ...

in 1922 and served on commissions of inquiry into agricultural affairs and treason. In Parliament, its first chairman was Frīdriha Vesmaņa. The 2nd member of the 2nd

Saeima The Saeima () is the parliament of the Latvia, Republic of Latvia. It is a unicameral parliament consisting of 100 members who are elected by proportional representation, with seats allocated to political parties which gain at least 5% of the po ...

was

Pauls Kalniņš Pauls Kalniņš (3 March 1872, in Vilce Parish – 26 August 1945, in Lustenau, Austria) was a Latvian physician and politician ( LSDSP), a long-term Speaker of the Saeima, one of the signatories of the Memorandum of the Central Council of Latv ...

. In Parliament, its first chairman was Frīdriha Vesmaņa. Alberings ran and was elected in the 3rd Saeima elections. He was the Minister of Agriculture in the cabinet of

Hugo Celmiņš Hugo Celmiņš (October 30, 1877 – July 30, 1941) was a Latvian politician, a public employee, agronomist, twice the Prime Minister of Latvia (''19 January 1924 – 23 December 1925, 1 December 1928 – 26 March 1931''). Arrested and deported t ...

and the government of

Kārlis Ulmanis Kārlis Augusts Vilhelms Ulmanis (; 4 September 1877 – 20 September 1942) was a Latvian politician. He was one of the most prominent Latvian politicians of pre-World War II Latvia during the Interwar period of independence from November 1918 to ...

. In May 1926, after the government headed by Ulmanis resigned due to the unaccepted budget, his cabinet was formed. In September, Alberings also took over the duties of the

Minister of Finance A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", " ...

due to the resignation of the former Minister Jānis Blumbers. In December, the Saeima asked Prime Minister Alberings why no new Minister of Finance had been found, to which he replied that he had assumed the post of Minister of Finance instead of performing his duties. The majority of Parliament found this explanation unsatisfactory and the government resigned. Since the autumn semester of 1926, he has been an honorary philister of the student association "Fraternitas Rusticana". Alberings was awarded with the

Order of the Three Stars Order of the Three Stars ( lv, Triju Zvaigžņu ordenis) is the highest civilian order awarded for meritorious service to Latvia. It was established in 1924 in remembrance of the founding of Latvia. Its motto is "Per aspera ad astra", meaning "Thr ...

2nd Class, the

Order of the White Rose of Finland The Order of the White Rose of Finland ( fi, Suomen Valkoisen Ruusun ritarikunta; sv, Finlands Vita Ros’ orden) is one of three official orders in Finland, along with the Order of the Cross of Liberty, and the Order of the Lion of Finland. ...

etc.

Death

Artur Alberings died in Riga on 26 April 1934, from

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alberings, Arturs 1876 births 1934 deaths People from Rūjiena People from Kreis Wolmar Latvian Farmers' Union politicians Prime Ministers of Latvia Ministers of Finance of Latvia Members of the People's Council of Latvia Deputies of the Constitutional Assembly of Latvia Deputies of the 1st Saeima Deputies of the 2nd Saeima Deputies of the 3rd Saeima Recipients of the Order of the Three Stars Order of the White Rose of Finland