Aleksander Tõnisson VR I/1 (17 April 1875 – 30 June 1941) was an

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

n military commander (

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

) during the

Estonian War of Independence The Estonian War of Independence ( et, Vabadussõda, literally "Freedom War"), also known as the Estonian Liberation War, was a defensive campaign of the Estonian Army and its allies, most notably the United Kingdom, against the Bolshevik westw ...

. In 1899 he graduated from Vilnius Military Academy. Tõnisson participated in

Russo-Japanese war The Russo-Japanese War ( ja, 日露戦争, Nichiro sensō, Japanese-Russian War; russian: Ру́сско-япóнская войнá, Rússko-yapónskaya voyná) was fought between the Empire of Japan and the Russian Empire during 1904 and 1 ...

and in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. In 1917 he participated in formation of Estonian national units and as commander of 1st Estonian regiment participated in battles at Riga front. In 1918 he escaped from German occupation to

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

, returned in autumn and became commander of 1st Division of Estonia. During Estonian Liberation War Tõnisson fought successfully at Viru Front. After war he served twice as minister of defence, in 1934 he retired from military and was

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

of Tartu 1934–1939 and Lord Mayor (''ülemlinnapea'') of

Tallinn Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju '' ...

from 1939–1940. In 1940

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...

occupation authorities arrested Tõnisson and executed him the following year.

Honours and awards

Order of St. Vladimir The Imperial Order of Saint Prince Vladimir (russian: орден Святого Владимира) was an Imperial Russian order established on by Empress Catherine II in memory of the deeds of Saint Vladimir, the Grand Prince and the Baptize ...

, 4th class; for distinguished service * Cross of Liberty, first-class, first degree. * Commander of the

Order of the Cross of the Eagle The Order of the Cross of the Eagle ( et, Kotkaristi teenetemärk; french: Ordre de la Croix de l'Aigle) was instituted in 1928 by the Estonian Defence League to commemorate the tenth anniversary of Estonian independence. It was adopted as a st ...

Protection of Natural Amenities Medal The Protection of Natural Amenities Medal ( et, Looduskaitsemärk) was an Estonian award conferred to the trustees of Protection of Natural Amenities and other persons who are distinguished in the work of nature protection. Statutes of this awar ...

, 2nd Rank

References

Ülo Kaevats Ülo Kaevats (29 September 1947 – 30 January 2015) was an Estonian statesman, academic and philosopher. In 1972, he graduated from the Faculty of Physics and Chemistry of the University of Tartu with a qualification from a physicist and a rese ...

et al. 2000. ''Eesti entsüklopeedia 14''. Tallinn: Eesti Entsüklopeediakirjastus, {{DEFAULTSORT:Tonisson, Aleksander 1875 births 1941 deaths People from Jõgeva Parish People from Kreis Dorpat Patriotic League (Estonia) politicians Defence Ministers of Estonia Members of the Estonian National Assembly Members of the Riiginõukogu Mayors of Tartu Mayors of Tallinn Estonian major generals Imperial Russian Army officers Russian military personnel of the Russo-Japanese War Russian military personnel of World War I Estonian military personnel of the Estonian War of Independence Recipients of the Order of St. Vladimir, 4th class Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 2nd class Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 3rd class Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 4th class Recipients of the Order of Saint Stanislaus (Russian), 2nd class Recipients of the Order of Saint Stanislaus (Russian), 3rd class Recipients of the Cross of Liberty (Estonia) Recipients of the Military Order of the Cross of the Eagle, Class I Recipients of the Military Order of the Cross of the Eagle, Class III Recipients of the Protection of Natural Amenities Medal, Rank II Estonian people executed by the Soviet Union