Juhan (Johann) Kukk ( – 4 December 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 politician.

Early years

Kukk was born in

Käru Käru is a small borough () in Türi Parish, Järva County, Estonia. Before the administrative reform in 2017, Käru was the administrative centre of Käru Parish. Käru has a railway station on the Tallinn - Viljandi railway line operated by ...

, Salla Parish (now in

Väike-Maarja Parish Väike-Maarja Parish () is a rural municipality of Estonia, in Lääne-Viru County. It has a population of 5,421 (as of 1 January 2009) and an area of 457.39 km². Settlements ;Small boroughs Kiltsi, Rakke, Simuna, Väike-Maarja ;Village ...

Wierland County Wierland County ( or , , , ) was one of the four counties of the Russian Empire located in the Governorate of Estonia. It was situated in the eastern part of the governorate (in present-day northeastern Estonia). Its capital was Rakvere (''Wesen ...

. He graduated from

Tartu Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 97,759 (as of 2024). It is southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres (152 miles) northeast of Riga, Latvia. Tartu lies on the Emajõgi river, which connects the ...

High School of Sciences, then studied in the Commerce Department of the Riga Polytechnical School in 1904–1910 and eventually graduated with a first-degree diploma in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

Political career

Kukk headed the financial department of the

Estonian Provincial Assembly The Estonian Provincial Assembly or Estonian State Diet, also often called by its Estonian name ''Maapäev'', was elected in May–June 1917 during the Russian Revolution as the provincial parliament ('' diet'') of the Autonomous Governorate of ...

in 1917–1918, served as Financial and State Property Minister of the

Estonian Provisional Government The Estonian Provisional Government () was formed on 24 February 1918, by the Salvation Committee appointed by '' Maapäev'', the Estonian Province Assembly. History Konstantin Päts' first provisional cabinet The Provisional Government was le ...

in 1918–1919, was

Minister of Finance A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position . A ministry of finance's portfolio ...

of the

Republic of 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 ...

in 1919–1920, and then Minister of Commerce and Industry in 1920–1921. He was a member of the I and

II Riigikogu II Riigikogu was the second legislature of the Estonian Parliament (Riigikogu). The legislature was elected after 1923 elections (held on 5–7 May 1923). It sat between 31 May 1923 and 14 June 1926, before the next round of elections were held. ...

from 1920 to 1926. From 18 November 1921 to 20 November 1922, he was also Speaker of the Riigikogu. He resigned as Speaker upon being appointed

State Elder The State Elder (), sometimes also translated as Head of State, was the official title of the Estonian head of state from 1920 to 1937. He combined some of the functions held by a president and prime minister in most other democracies. According ...

, an office he held until 2 August 1923. After Kukk left the Riigikogu, he was succeeded by

Johann Kana Johann Kana (also Johan Kana; 22 March 1882 in Vana-Vändra Parish, Kreis Pernau – 6 January 1934 in Tallinn) was an Estonian politician. He was a member of I and II Riigikogu, starting on 28 October 1925 where he replaced Juhan Kukk Juhan ...

. Kukk was an active promoter of the

cooperative movement The history of the cooperative movement concerns the origins and history of cooperatives across the world. Although cooperative arrangements, such as mutual insurance, and principles of cooperation existed long before, the cooperative movement bega ...

, and also served as chairman of the council of the Estonian Cooperative Union, Director of the Central Union of the Estonian Consumers Union, and for some time also as chairman of the board of the latter. Aside from his career in politics, Kukk also worked as a banker. In 1920, he became chairman of the board of the Estonian People's Bank, and he served as director of the

Bank of Estonia The Bank of Estonia () is the national central bank for Estonia within the Eurosystem. It was the Estonian central bank from 1919 to 2010 (albeit with a long suspension between 1940 and 1989), issuing the kroon. Name Like other central bank ...

from 1924 to 1926.

Arrest and death

After the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

occupied Estonia and the other Baltic states in 1940, Kukk was arrested by the

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 ...

and deported to

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

. He died in imprisonment in

Kargopol Kargopol () is a town and the administrative center of Kargopolsky District in Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia, located on both sides of the Onega River, several miles north of Lake Lacha, in the southwestern corner of the oblast. Population: ...

Arkhangelsk Oblast Arkhangelsk Oblast ( rus, Архангельская область, p=ɐrˈxanɡʲɪlʲskəjə ˈobɫəsʲtʲ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). It includes the Arctic Ocean, Arctic archipelagos of Franz ...

in 1942.

Honours

National honours

* : Cross of Liberty III, 1st class (1920)

References

Juhan (Johann) Kukk
*

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:Kukk, Juhan 1885 births 1942 deaths People from Väike-Maarja Parish Politicians from Lääne-Viru County People from Kreis Wierland Estonian Labour Party politicians State Elders of Estonia Finance ministers of Estonia Government ministers of Estonia Members of the Estonian Provincial Assembly Members of the Estonian Constituent Assembly Members of the Riigikogu, 1920–1923 Members of the Riigikogu, 1923–1926 Speakers of the Riigikogu Cooperative organizers Riga Technical University alumni Recipients of the Cross of Liberty (Estonia) Estonian people who died in Soviet detention People who died in the Gulag Estonian Gulag detainees