August Rei

Infobox_Politician
name = August Rei


width =
height =
caption =
birth_date = March 22, 1886
birth_place = Estonia
residence =
death_date = March 29, 1963
death_place = Stockholm, Sweden
office = Prime Minister in duties of the President
term_start = January 9, 1945
term_end = March 29, 1963
predecessor = Jüri Uluots
successor = Aleksander Warma
constituency =
alma_mater = Saint Petersburg State University

August Rei VR III/1 (22 March 1886 – Stockholm 29 March 1963) was an Estonian politician.

Education

Rei studied in the Tartu Emperor Alexander High School (the former State High School of the Livonian Province), but graduated from the Novgorod State High School. In 1904–1905 and 1907–1911, studied law in the St. Petersburg University.

Beginnings of political influence

In 1905–1907, Rei participated in the Russian revolution of 1905. In 1906, he edited the underground paper "Sotsiaaldemokraat" ("Social Democrat") in Tallinn. Between 1912 and 1913, he was in compulsory army service. In 1913–1914 he worked as a lawyer in Viljandi. In 1914 - 1917 Rei was an artillery officer in World War I at the Fort of St. Petersburg. In 1917 and 1918 he was in the Estonian army units (formed after the Second Russian Revolution in March 1917 by the initiative of Estonian politicians, who achieved the permission to concentrate the Estonian soldiers). He was the Assistant Chairman of the Supreme Committee of the Estonian military. In 1917 and 1919, he was the Editor-in-Chief of the paper "Sotsiaaldemokraat". Between 1927 and 1928 he was the editor of "Rahva Sõna" ("Word of the People"). Rei was one of the leaders of the moderate faction of Estonia's social democratic movement. Up to 1936 he also worked as a lawyer and defended Ado Birk in 1927.He received an Honorary Doctorate in Law from Tartu University.

Career

* Member of the Estonian Province Assembly (Eesti Maanõukogu): 1917–1919
* Minister of Labour and Social Welfare of the Provisional Government; Deputy Prime Minister; Acting Minister of Education: 1918–1919
* Chairman of the Constitutent Assembly (Asutav Kogu): 1919–1920
* Head of the Estonian Delegation to the Estonian-Latvian Border Committee: 1923–1925
* State Elder (Head of State): 4 December 1928–9 July 1929
* Chairman of the II Riigikogu: 1932–1933
* Minister of Foreign Affairs: 1932–1933
* Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs: 1936–1937
* Envoy to the Soviet Union: 1938–1940
* Minister of Foreign Affairs in exile: 1944–1945
* Prime Minister in capacity of the President of the Republic in exile: 9 January 1945–29 March 1963

Literary interests

Rei wrote and translated socialist works and published memoirs.

Bibliography

* "Sotsialdemokraatia taktika põhimõtted" Tallinnas : Tööliste kirjastusühisus, 1921 (Narva : Kärner) et icon
* "Have the Baltic countries voluntarily renounced their freedom : [an exposé based on authentic documentary evidence" by August Rei. New York : World Association of Estonians, 1944 en icon
* "Have the small nations a right to freedom and independence?" by August Rei. London : Boreas, 1946 en icon
* "The drama of the Baltic peoples" by August Rei; preface by Eugene Lyons. Stockholm: Vaba Eesti, 1972 (Åbo : Sydvästkusten) en icon

External links

* [http://www.edk.edu.ee/default.asp?object_id=6&id=30&site_id=2 "Estonian Government-in-Exile: a controversial project of state continuation" by Vahur Made]
* [http://www.riik.ee/augustrei/index.php?op=print&id=32909 A biography of August Rei]