Konstantin Päts (February 23, 1874 – January 18, 1956) was a politician and the first President of Estonia.
In 1898, he graduated from the faculty of Law of Tartu University. Served in the Russian Army. Worked as an editor of the "Teataja" newspaper in Tallinn, then worked in Tallinn municipality. Participated in the 1905 Revolution, was convicted in absence having fled to Switzerland. Returned to the Russian Empire in 1909 and served his sentence in a St. Petersburg prison. In 1918 he was arrested by German authorities and spent from July to November in a concentration camp in Poland. After getting back to Estonia he became the prime minister and the defense minister 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 and October 1933 - January 1934).
In 1934 he established an authoritarian rule after a coup d'état, declaring a state of national emergency, during which he became Riigihoidja (state protector) of Estonia. In 1938 he was elected president.
Päts lost power in 1940 when Estonia was occupied by the Soviet Union. He was arrested and deported by the Soviets and died in a psychiatric hospital in Kalinin (current Tver) in 1956.
External links
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