Konstantin Päts

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Konstantin Päts
Image:Konstantin Päts.PNG <small/>
1st President of Estonia
In office 24 April, 1938 – 21 June, 1940
Succeeded by	Jüri Uluots

Born	February 23, 1874 Estonia
Died	January 18, 1956 Tver, Russia
Political party	Isamaaliit
Profession	Politician

Konstantin Päts VR I/1 and III/1 (February 23 1874 – January 18 1956) was a politician and the first President of Estonia.

1 Education
2 Career
- 2.1 Military and literary experience
- 2.2 Political career
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] Education

In 1898, Päts graduated from the faculty of Law of Tartu University as Cand. jur.

[edit] Career

[edit] Military and literary experience

Päts served in the Russian Army and worked as an editor of the "Teataja" newspaper in Tallinn, then worked in the Tallinn municipality. He participated in the 1905 Revolution and was convicted in absence having fled to Switzerland. He returned to the Russian Empire in 1909 and served his sentence in a St. Petersburg prison.

[edit] Political career

On 24 February 1918, Päts became Chairman Council of Ministers and Minister of Interior of the newly proclaimed Republic of Estonia. Under the following German occupation, he was arrested by German authorities and spent July to November in a prison camp in Poland. After returning to Estonia he became the Prime Minister and the Minister of War of the Provisionary Government.

Päts served several times as State Elder of Estonia:

January 1921 - November 1922
August 1923 – March 1924
February 1931 - February 1932
November 1932 - May 1933
October 1933 - 3 September 1937.

In 1934 Päts established an authoritarian rule, declaring a state of national emergency, during which he became Riigihoidja (President-Regent) of Estonia. In 1938 he was elected president. His Constitution was based on the contemporary Polish and Belgian constitutions. He also admired the British two-chamber Parliament.

During his whole political career he was champion and founder of autonomous local and professional self-government bodies and vocational schools.

Päts lost power in 1940 when Estonia was occupied by the Soviet Union, but his successors in exile (Jüri Uluots and August Rei) considered him the legal Estonian Head of State and themselves as his substitutes until his death. He was arrested and deported by the Soviets and died in a psychiatric hospital in Kalinin (currently Tver) in 1956.

[edit] See also

Johan Laidoner

[edit] External links

Preceded by: none	Prime Minister of Estonia 1918–1919	Succeeded by: Otto Strandman
Preceded by: none	Minister of Interior 1918	Succeeded by: August Peet
Preceded by: Andres Larka	Minister of War 1918	Succeeded by: Otto Strandman
Preceded by: Ants Piip	State Elder of Estonia 1921–1922	Succeeded by: Juhan Kukk
Preceded by: Juhan Kukk	State Elder of Estonia 1923–1924	Succeeded by: Friedrich Akel
Preceded by: Otto Strandman	State Elder of Estonia 1931–1932	Succeeded by: Jaan Teemant
Preceded by: Kaarel Eenpalu	State Elder of Estonia 1932–1933	Succeeded by: Jaan Tõnisson
Preceded by: Jaan Tõnisson	State Elder of Estonia 1933–1937	Succeeded by: Riigihoidja
Preceded by: State Elder of Estonia	Riigihoidja 1937–1938	Succeeded by: President of Estonia
Preceded by: suspended	Prime Minister of Estonia 1934–1937	Succeeded by: merged with Riigihoidja
Preceded by: Riigihoidja	President of Estonia 1938–1940	Succeeded by: Jüri Uluots

Heads of State of Estonia		Image:Flag of Estonia.svg
Republic of Estonia (1918-1940) Piip \| Päts \| Kukk \| Päts \| Akel \| Jaakson \| Teemant \| Tõnisson \| Rei \| Strandman \| Päts \| Teemant \| Eenpalu \| Päts \| Tõnisson \| Päts Republic of Estonia in Exile (1940–1992) Uluots \| Rei \| Warma \| Kint \| Mark Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic (1940-1990) Vares \| Päll \| Jakobson \| Eichfeld \| Müürisepp \| Vader \| Käbin \| Rüütel Republic of Estonia (1992- ) Meri \| Rüütel \| Ilves