Hans Rebane

Hans Rebane (1934)

Hans Rebane (born December 12 ^{. Jul} / 24. December  1882 ^greg. Farm Ärma in the municipality Abja, then parish Halliste , Estonia ; † 16th December 1961 in Stockholm , Sweden ) was an Estonian journalist, politician and diplomat. He was Foreign Minister of the Republic of Estonia from 1927 to 1928. He also held the same office from 1945 to 1949 in the Estonian government in exile .

journalism

Hans Rebane was born on the Ärma Manor in today's Viljandi County . He passed his Abitur at the boys' grammar school in Pärnu . Rebane studied medicine at the University of Tartu from 1903 and later economics in Berlin . From 1906 to 1917 he was editor of the Estonian newspaper Postimees and from 1918 to 1927 editor-in-chief of the newspaper Eesti Päevaleht .

Politics and diplomacy

After the establishment of the Republic of Estonia ( Peace of Dorpat ), Rebane was also politically active. He was first a member of the Estonian Parliament. From December 9, 1927 to November 9, 1928 he was Foreign Minister of the Republic of Estonia under Prime Minister Jaan Tõnisson . Afterwards Rebane was Estonian envoy to Finland from 1931 to 1937 . He was then appointed envoy to Latvia , where he experienced the occupation of the Baltic states by the Soviet Union .

exile

In 1940 Rebane was arrested by the Soviet authorities along with other Estonian diplomats. However, while being transported on a prison ship, he managed to jump overboard. Rebane survived and fled into exile in Sweden in 1944. From January 15, 1945 to June 24, 1949 he was Foreign Minister of the Estonian government in exile. The validity of his appointment is doubted by the Estonian side, but accepted by the current Estonian government. Hans Rebane died in 1961 and was buried in Stockholm.

Aftermath

The non-partisan European Institute in Estonia has been bearing his name since the beginning of 2006. Hans Rebane is the great-uncle of the Estonian politician Toomas Hendrik Ilves .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Entry in the baptismal register of the Hallist community (Estonian: Halliste kogudus)
2. ↑ T. Hiio, M. Maripuu, I. Paavle (eds.): Fate of the Estonian elite in 1940-1941. Inimsusevastaste Kuritegude Uurimise Eesti Sihtasutus, Tallinn 2006. Appendix 1 (PDF; 91 kB)

Web links

• Inauguration of a plaque for Hans Rebane at his place of birth (Estonian)