Anton Uesson (12 January 1879 – 13 April 1942)[1] was an Estonian politician and engineer.
Born in Läänemaa, Estonia,[2] Uesson graduated from the Theological Seminary in Riga, present-day Latvia in 1902. In 1910, he finished his studies at the Riga Polytechnic Institute, graduating cum laude with a degree as a civil engineer.[2] He began his career as an architect and engineer by constructing many of Tallinn's Jugendstil buildings in the 1910s, working for Tallinn's then-mayor Voldemar Lender. By the spring of 1912, Uesson was constructing over 40 houses in the capital city.[3]
In 1918 Uesson was a founding member and member of the board of trustees of the Tallinn Technical Institute.[4] In 1919, Anton Uesson was elected the Mayor of Tallinn; a post which he held until 1934, when he became deputy mayor, which post was renamed mayor since 1 May 1938.
In 1928, when the Tallinn city government learned that Herbert Hoover had been elected the United States president, Anton Uesson sent Hoover a congratulatory telegram. Hoover had previously, in 1920, been elected an Honorary Citizen of Tallinn. On December 4, Vaba Maa reported on President-elect Hoover's gracious response to Uesson from California.[5]
In 1940, during the Soviet invasion of Estonia in World War II, Uesson was arrested by Soviet authorities, along with many other prominent Estonian politicians and intellectuals. He was sent to a gulag in Sverdlovsk oblast (present day Yekaterinburg) and executed by shooting on 13 April 1942.[1]
Contents |
| “ | The stronger the control of local governments, the better the local government representatives and leaders have managed these governments. | ” |
– Anton Uesson, 1938[7]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Aleksander Hellat |
Deputy Mayor of Tallinn 1919 |
Succeeded by Gottlieb Jaan Ast |
| Preceded by Gottlieb Jaan Ast |
Mayor of Tallinn 1919–1934 |
Succeeded by Jaan Soots |