Jüri Jaakson ( – 20 April 1942) was an

Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

n lawyer and statesman.

Early years

Jaakson was born in Karula. After graduating from the Hugo Treffner Gymnasium in

Tartu Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 97,759 (as of 2024). It is southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres (152 miles) northeast of Riga, Latvia. Tartu lies on the Emajõgi river, which connects the ...

, he studied law at the

University of Tartu The University of Tartu (UT; ; ) is a public research university located in the city of Tartu, Estonia. It is the national university of Estonia. It is also the largest and oldest university in the country.

from 1892 to 1896. He graduated with a 1st degree diploma (simple graduation) in 1896. In 1897–1914 he worked as a lawyer in

Viljandi Viljandi (, , , , ) is a Populated places in Estonia, town and Municipalities of Estonia, municipality in southern Estonia with a population of 17,255 in 2024. It is the capital of Viljandi County and is geographically located between two major ...

and

Riga Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...

. In 1915–1919, Jaakson was a member of board of the Tallinn Municipal Bank ().

Political career

Jaakson was a member and assistant chairman of the Estonian Provincial Assembly in 1917–1918. In 1918, he was general commissioner of the Estonian Provisional Government for expropriating property from the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

occupation powers. During 1918–1920 he was Minister of Justice in the government of the Republic of Estonia. In 1920–1932 Jaakson served as a member of parliament (the I–IV

Riigikogu The Riigikogu (, from Estonian ''riigi-'', "of the state", and ''kogu'', "assembly") is the unicameral parliament of Estonia. In addition to approving legislation, the Parliament appoints high officials, including the prime minister and chi ...

). Between December 1924 to December 1925, Jaakson was

State Elder of Estonia The State Elder (), sometimes also translated as Head of State, was the official title of the Estonian head of state from 1920 to 1937. He combined some of the functions held by a president and prime minister in most other democracies. According ...

. In 1926–1940 he worked as president of the Bank of Estonia and was a member of the National Economic Council. Jaakson was also a member of the National Council, the upper house of the bicameral parliament, in 1938–1940. Jaakson was founder of several banks and participated in several organizations like the Central Society of the North Estonian Farmers () and the Council of the Tallinn Economic Union ().

Arrest and death

Following the June 1940 Soviet invasion and occupation of Estonia, Jaakson was imprisoned by the

NKVD The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (, ), abbreviated as NKVD (; ), was the interior ministry and secret police of the Soviet Union from 1934 to 1946. The agency was formed to succeed the Joint State Political Directorate (OGPU) se ...

on 14 June 1941. He was deported to

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

, accused of "counterrevolutionary activities", sentenced to death and executed in Sosva,

Sverdlovsk Oblast Sverdlovsk Oblast ( rus, Свердловская область, Sverdlovskaya oblastʹ, p=svʲɪrdˈlofskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ) is a federal subject (an oblast) of Russia located in the Ural Federal District. Its administrative center is the c ...

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

, in 1942.

Honours

National honours

* : Cross of Liberty III, 1st class (1920) * :

Order of the Cross of the Eagle The Order of the Cross of the Eagle (; ) was instituted in 1928 by the Estonian Defence League to commemorate the tenth anniversary of Estonian independence. It was adopted as a state order in 1936. The Order of the Cross of the Eagle is bestowe ...

, 1st class (1930)

Foreign honours

* :

Order of the Three Stars Order of the Three Stars () 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 "Through hardships towards the ...

, 1st Class with Chain (1925)

References

Jaakson's biography on the website of the President of EstoniaOld site
* Ülo Kaevats et al. 2000. ''Eesti Entsüklopeedia 14''. Tallinn: Eesti Entsüklopeediakirjastus, {{DEFAULTSORT:Jaakson, Juri 1870 births 1942 deaths People from Viljandi Parish People from Kreis Fellin Estonian People's Party politicians National Centre Party (Estonia) politicians State Elders of Estonia Government ministers of Estonia Chairmen of the Bank of Estonia Members of the Estonian Provincial Assembly Members of the Estonian Constituent Assembly Members of the Riigikogu, 1923–1926 Members of the Riigikogu, 1926–1929 Members of the Riigikogu, 1929–1932 Members of the Estonian National Assembly Members of the Riiginõukogu Hugo Treffner Gymnasium alumni University of Tartu alumni Recipients of the Cross of Liberty (Estonia) Recipients of the Military Order of the Cross of the Eagle, Class I Estonian people executed by the Soviet Union Executed prime ministers Lawyers from the Russian Empire