Jüri Adams (born 22 November 1947) is an Estonian politician. He formerly was the

Justice Minister A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

of Estonia from 1994 to 1995. He has been a member of numerous political parties, including the

Estonian National Independence Party The Estonian National Independence Party, or ENIP, (, ''ERSP''), founded on 20 August 1988 in Estonian SSR, was the first non-communist political party established in the former USSR. Founders of the party were nationalist and anti-communist diss ...

Pro Patria Union The Pro Patria Union (, meaning literally Fatherland Union) was a national-conservative political party in Estonia. The party was founded on 2 December 1995 from a merger of the Estonian National Independence Party and the Pro Patria National Co ...

, and later the

Pro Patria and Res Publica Union Isamaa () is a Christian democratic and national conservative political party in Estonia. It was founded on 4 June 2006 under the name of "Pro Patria and Res Publica Union", by the merger of two conservative parties, Pro Patria Union and Res ...

. From 2014 to 2019, he was a member of the Estonian Free Party and a member of the

Riigikogu The Riigikogu (, from Estonian ''riigi-'', "of the state", and ''kogu'', "assembly") is the unicameral parliament of Estonia. In addition to approving legislation, the Parliament appoints high officials, including the prime minister and chi ...

Education and career

Adams graduated from the Tartu Distance Learning Secondary School in 1966, studied mathematics at

Moscow State University Moscow State University (MSU), officially M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University,. is a public university, public research university in Moscow, Russia. The university includes 15 research institutes, 43 faculties, more than 300 departments, a ...

, and English

philology Philology () is the study of language in Oral tradition, oral and writing, written historical sources. It is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics with strong ties to etymology. Philology is also de ...

at 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.

. He graduated from Luua Metsanduskool with a degree in forestry machinery in 1982. Adams has worked, among other things, as a teacher, forest warden, and boiler-maker.

Political career

In the time before Estonia regained its independence, Adams participated in the Estonian resistance movement and in the underground in the free press. Among other things, he translated the secret protocols of the

Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact The Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, officially the Treaty of Non-Aggression between Germany and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and also known as the Hitler–Stalin Pact and the Nazi–Soviet Pact, was a non-aggression pact between Nazi Ge ...

into Estonian. In 1978, he founded the magazine "Additions to the Freedom of Thoughts and News in Estonia". In 1988, Adams was one of the founders of the program and articles of association of the

, and then the vice chairman of the party. From 1990 to 1992, he was the vice chairman of the Estonian Congress. Adams was a member of the Constitutional Assembly. He is considered to be the main author of the Constitution of the Republic of Estonia. From 1992 to 2003, and again from 2015 onwards, he has been a member of the

, where he was chairman of the Committee on Legal Affairs. From 1994 to 1995, Adams was the Justice Minister of Estonia under

prime minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Andres Tarand. However, from 2003 to 2014, he did not participate in active political activities. Adams is one of the founders of the

Jaan Tõnisson Jaan Tõnisson ( – 1941?) was an Estonian statesman, serving as the Prime Minister of Estonia twice during 1919 to 1920, as State Elder (head of state and government) from 1927 to 1928 and in 1933, and as Foreign Minister of Estonia from 19 ...

Institute and, since 2007, has been the chairman of their council.

Awards

* 2001: 3rd Class of the Estonian Order of the National Coat of Arms (received 23 February 2001) * 2006: 2nd Class of the Order of the White Star (received 14 September 2007)

Personal life

Adams is the son of writer and literary scholar Valmar Adams.

Bibliography

* "Taasvabanenud Eesti põhiseaduse eellugu", Kirjastus Juura, 1997, * "Keda me valisime 1995?", AS Liivimaa Lombard, 1995

External links

"Jüri Adams: kõike pole põhiseadusesse vaja kirjutada"
Eesti Päevaleht, 18 June 2010 * Priit Simson
"Jüri Adams: katsuge mitte suruda asju põranda alla"
Eesti Päevaleht, 5 February 2011 * Teet Korsten
"Jüri Adams: realistlik-pessimistlikult Putini-Venemaa perspektiividest"
Sirp, 28 July 2017

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adams, Juri 1947 births Living people Politicians from Tartu Estonian National Independence Party politicians Estonian Free Party politicians Isamaa politicians Justice ministers of Estonia Members of the Riigikogu, 1992–1995 Members of the Riigikogu, 1995–1999 Members of the Riigikogu, 1999–2003 Members of the Riigikogu, 2015–2019 Recipients of the Order of the National Coat of Arms, 3rd Class Recipients of the Order of the White Star, 2nd Class