Aleksander Jaakson (29 January 1892 – 2 October 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 general and educator. After beginnings as a teacher in

Türi Türi is a town in Järva County, Estonia. It is the administrative centre of Türi Parish. Due to its spring flower fairs, which have been held since 1977 and are known throughout Estonia, Türi has also been known as the "spring capital" of Es ...

, he served with the

Imperial Russian Army The Imperial Russian Army () was the army of the Russian Empire, active from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was organized into a standing army and a state militia. The standing army consisted of Regular army, regular troops and ...

in World War I, and was advanced to

Staff Captain Staff captain is the English translation of a number of military ranks: Historical use of the rank Czechoslovakia In the Czechoslovak Army, until 1953, staff captain (, ) was a senior captain rank, ranking between captain and major. Estonia T ...

. During the disintegration of the

Russian Republic The Russian Republic,. referred to as the Russian Democratic Federative Republic in the 1918 Constitution, was a short-lived state which controlled, ''de jure'', the territory of the former Russian Empire after its proclamation by the Rus ...

in 1917, he returned home to establish a branch of the

Estonian Defence League The Estonian Defence League (, 'Defence League') is a voluntary paramilitary national defence organization of the Republic of Estonia, under management of the Ministry of Defence. Its aim is to guarantee the preservation of the independence and s ...

. He was a decorated participant in the

Estonian War of Independence The Estonian War of Independence, also known as the War of Freedom in Estonia, was a defensive campaign of the Estonian Army and its allies, most notably the United Kingdom, against the Soviet Russian westward offensive of 1918–1919 and the ...

and later continued serving in the

Estonian Defence Forces The Estonian Defence Forces () is the unified military force of the Republic of Estonia. The Estonian Defence Forces consists of the Estonian Land Forces, the Estonian Navy, the Estonian Air Force, and the paramilitary Estonian Defence Leagu ...

in various positions, including military education. Jaakson was the

Estonian Minister of Education The Minister of Education and Research is the senior government minister, minister at the Ministry of Education and Research (Estonia), Ministry of Education and Research (''Estonian language, Estonian: Eesti Vabariigi Haridus- ja Teadusministeer ...

from 1936 to 1939, contributing to the establishment of various institutions—including

Tallinn Technical University Established in 1918, Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech; ) is the only technical university in Estonia. TalTech, in the capital city of Tallinn, is a university for engineering, business, public administration and maritime affairs. TalT ...

and the

Estonian Academy of Sciences Founded in 1938, the Estonian Academy of Sciences (, ) is Estonia's national academy of science in Tallinn. As with other national academies, it is an independent group of well-known scientists whose stated aim is to promote research and develo ...

. His final contributions were as the last

Chief of Staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...

of the

Estonian Army The Estonian Land Forces (), unofficially referred to as the Estonian Army, is the name of the unified ground forces among the Estonian Defense Forces where it has an offensive military formation role. The Estonian Land Forces is currently the ...

, in which capacity he served from 1939 to 1940, reaching the rank of major general. With the onset of

Soviet occupation During World War II, the Soviet Union occupied and annexed several countries effectively handed over by Nazi Germany in the secret Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact of 1939. These included the eastern regions of Poland (incorporated into three differe ...

, he was arrested by

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 ...

in 1940 and killed at Kirov two years later.

Biography

Aleksander Jaakson was born on 29 January 1892 in a family of a manor worker in

Holdre Holdre is a village in Tõrva Parish Tõrva Parish () is a rural municipality in Valga County. It includes the town of Tõrva. Settlements ;Town Tõrva ;Boroughs Helme, Hummuli ;Villages Aitsra, Ala, Alamõisa, Holdre, Jeti, Jõg ...

Parish (now

Tõrva Parish Tõrva Parish () is a rural municipality in Valga County. It includes the town of Tõrva. Settlements ;Town Tõrva ;Boroughs Helme, Hummuli ;Villages Aitsra, Ala, Alamõisa, Holdre, Jeti, Jõgeveste, Kalme, Karjatnurme, Karu, Ka ...

Kreis Fellin Viljandi County (; , ) was a historic county in the Governorate of Livonia, and in the Republic of Estonia dissolved during the administrative territorial reform of the Estonian SSR in 1949. It was situated in the northern part of the governora ...

, in the

Governorate of Livonia The Governorate of Livonia, also known as the Livonia Governorate, was a province (''guberniya'') and one of the Baltic governorates of the Russian Empire, Baltic Governorate-General until 1876. Governorate of Livonia bordered Governorate of E ...

of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

. He studied in Holdre village school, in

Helme Helme may refer to: * G.W. Helme Snuff Mill Historic District, historic district in Helmetta, New Jersey * Helme (river), a river in central Germany * Helme Parish, a rural municipality in Valga County, Estonia * Helme, Estonia, a small borough ( ...

parish school, and in . Pihlak 2007, p. 234 From 1913 to 1915 Jaakson worked as a teacher in

parish school and Nõmmküla ministry school. Pihlak 2007, p. 235 During World War I, Jaakson was mobilized, entering service in February 1915. He studied in the 4th

Petrograd Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...

Praporshchik (, , ) is a rank used by the Russian Armed Forces and a number of former communist states. The rank is a non-commissioned officer's and is equivalent to in the corresponding navies. It is usually equivalent to warrant officer class 1 or serge ...

'' school, receiving the corresponding rank in the

, and was then called up to fight on the Eastern Front against the

German Empire The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...

. In March 1916 he was wounded in combat. Jaakson received multiple promotions, reaching the rank of

in January 1917, and was awarded the

Order of Saint Anna The Imperial Order of Saint Anna (; also "Order of Saint Anne" or "Order of Saint Ann") was a Holstein ducal and then Russian imperial order of chivalry. It was established by Karl Friedrich, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp, on 14 February 1735, in hono ...

and

Order of Saint Stanislaus The Order of Saint Stanislaus (, ), also spelled Stanislas, was a Polish order of knighthood founded in 1765 by King Stanisław August Poniatowski of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. It remained under the Congress Poland, Kingdom of Pola ...

. In December 1917, shortly after the

October Revolution The October Revolution, also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution (in Historiography in the Soviet Union, Soviet historiography), October coup, Bolshevik coup, or Bolshevik revolution, was the second of Russian Revolution, two r ...

, he joined the Estonian national reserve battalion of Tartu, though this was disbanded in March of the following year. Kaevats, et al. 2000, p. 105 In 1918 Jaakson organised a paramilitary defense group, the

, in Türi. At the start of the

on 28 November, he joined the 6th infantry regiment, serving first as a company commander, and from 28 December as the commander of the 2nd battalion. Jaska 2012, p. 19 He fought against both the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

and the ''

Baltische Landeswehr The Baltic Landwehr or ("Baltic Territorial Army") was the name of the unified armed forces of Couronian and Livonian nobility from 7 December 1918 to 3 July 1919. Command structure The Landeswehr was subordinated to the German VI Re ...

'', and suffered a concussion in June 1919 near Stalbe in

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

. In October Jaakson was promoted to the rank of

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

. For his service in the War of Independence Jaakson was awarded Estonia's Cross of Liberty and Latvia's

Order of Lāčplēsis The Order of Lāčplēsis (also Lāčplēsis Military Order, ), the first and the highest Latvian military award, was established in 1919 on the initiative of Jānis Balodis, the Commander of the Latvian Army during the Latvian War of Independ ...

, as well as a farm and 50,000

marks Marks may refer to: Business * Mark's, a Canadian retail chain * Marks & Spencer, a British retail chain * Collective trade marks A collective trademark, collective trade mark, or collective mark is a trademark owned by an organization (such ...

. After the war Jaakson continued to serve in the Estonian army, serving in several different units, and from August 1922 in the General Staff. He studied at officer courses in Estonian Defence College and in . In 1927 he was appointed to the Estonian Defence College, serving in several different positions, including teaching, and in 1933 became its commandant. Pihlak 2007, p. 236 In 1936 Jaakson graduated cum laude from the Faculty of Law of 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.

. On 18 September 1928 Jaakson married Mary Hovaldt (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Pikk). They adopted son Rein. In May 1936 Jaakson became Estonia's Minister of Education. He introduced several major changes, a university law was adopted, Tartu University's Faculty of Engineering was brought to Tallinn becoming

, and defence institutes were established to both universities. Under his tenure in 1938, the

was founded. In October 1939 Jaakson became the Chief of General Staff, and in February 1940 was promoted to the rank of major general. In June 1940 Soviet occupation authorities removed Jaakson from his post. He turned to managing his farm in Valga County, but on 18 October was arrested by

on his farm's field. In June 1941 he was transferred to

Kirov Oblast Kirov Oblast ( rus, Кировская область, p=ˈkʲirəfskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast) located in Eastern Europe. Its administrative center is the city of Kirov. As of the 2010 census, the population ...

, where he was killed in a prison camp at Kirov city (Vyatka) on 2 October 1942. His place of burial is unknown. He was survived by Mary and Rein, both of them escaping to the West in 1944.

Honors

Jaakson received the Russian

4th class and the

3rd class for his service in the World War I. His contribution to the Estonian War of Independence also earned him the Estonian Cross of Liberty 1st grade 3rd class and the Latvian

3rd class. Additionally in peacetime he received Estonian

Order of the White Star The Order of the White Star (; ) was instituted in 1936. The Order of the White Star is bestowed on Estonian citizens and foreigners to give recognition for services rendered to the Estonian state. Design Classes The Order of the White Star ...

1st Class,

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 ...

3rd class, and various foreign awards from Latvia,

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, and

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

. Pihlak 2007, p. 224 Jaakson participated in public life belonging to several organisations, including being an honorary member of

Estonian Naturalists' Society Estonian Naturalists' Society (, ELUS) is the oldest Estonia-based society of naturalists. It was founded in 1853, and since establishing has been the major scientific organisation focusing on natural history of Estonia. The society is based in ...

References

Bibliography

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jaakson, Aleksander 1892 births 1942 deaths People from Tõrva Parish Politicians from Valga County People from Kreis Fellin Estonian Independent Socialist Workers' Party politicians Education and Social affairs ministers of Estonia Members of the Riigikogu, 1920–1923 Estonian major generals University of Tartu alumni Rectors of universities in Estonia University and college founders Imperial Russian Army officers Russian military personnel of World War I Estonian military personnel of the Estonian War of Independence Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 4th class Recipients of the Cross of Liberty (Estonia) Recipients of the Order of the White Star, 1st Class Recipients of the Military Order of the Cross of the Eagle, Class III Recipients of the Order of Lāčplēsis, 3rd class Recipients of the Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas Estonian people executed by the Soviet Union