Ray August

He studied at the Alexander Gymnasium in Yuriev ( Tartu ), a graduate of the gymnasium in Novgorod . He graduated from the Law Faculty of St. Petersburg University ( 1911 ), Honorary Doctor of Law, University of Tartu ( 1932 ).

Member of the revolution of 1905 in Russia, was involved in organizing an uprising on the cruiser "Memory of Azov" in 1906 . In 1912 - 1913 he was in military service, in 1913-1914 he worked as a lawyer in Viljandi . In 1914-1917 he served as an artillery officer in the Russian army. In 1917 he participated in the formation of Estonian national military units.

In 1917 he was one of the founders of the Estonian Social Democratic Labor Party , led its right wing, and in 1917 and 1919 was the editor-in-chief of the Sotsiaaldemokraat newspaper.

In 1918-1919 - Minister of Labor and Charity of the Provisional Government of Estonia , Deputy Prime Minister, Acting Minister of Education. In 1919-1920 - Chairman of the Estonian Constituent Assembly. Member of the Riigikogu (Parliament) of the first to fifth convocations.

From December 4, 1928 to July 9, 1929 - Estonian state elder (head of state and government).

In 1930 - 1934 - Chairman of the Tallinn City Council. In 1932 - 1933 - Minister of Foreign Affairs. Until 1936 he practiced law, was a lawyer for Ado Birka at the trial in 1927 . He was awarded the Cross of Liberty of the third category of the first degree - for civil merit.

In 1934, he was a candidate for the post of State Elder of Estonia along with Konstantin Päts , Johan Laidoner and Andres Larka , however, the elections did not take place due to the coup organized by Päts and Laidoner to prevent the election of the right candidate Larka.

He was the chairman of the Estonian Workers 'Music Union and the Tallinn Workers' Musical Society, the founder of the Tallinn People's House, the Tallinn Workers 'Theater and the Tallinn Workers' Sports Society.

In 1936 - 1937 - Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. In 1937-1938 - Deputy Chairman of the Estonian Foreign Policy Society. In 1938-1940 - Estonian ambassador to the USSR . In the summer of 1940 he was able to leave for Sweden, thereby avoiding arrest.

From September 18 to September 20, 1944 - Minister of Foreign Affairs in the government of Otto Tiif , who lasted two days between the retreat of German troops from Tallinn and his occupation by Soviet troops. In modern Estonian historiography, the Government of Otto Typhus is seen as the legitimate government of Estonia.

In 1945-1963 he was the Prime Minister of the Estonian Government in exile and the Acting President of the Republic.

In exile, he also headed the Estonian National Fund ( 1946–1949 ) and the Estonian National Council (1947–1963). He appeared in the press as a publicist.

In August 2006, the remains of Augustus Rey and his wife Teresa were reburied in Tallinn at the Metsakalmistu cemetery .

• Estonian Biographical Dictionary . Tallinn, 2002.

• Rupasov A.I. Ant J. August Rey - Estonian statesman, politician, diplomat. Tartu: National Archives, 2012.399 s. // Proceedings of the Karelian Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences: journal. - Ptz., 2014. - No. 3 . - S. 176–179 .

• Biography
• About the reburial of the ashes