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 1931 to 1932. After the Soviet invasion and occupation Estonia in June 1940, Tõnisson was arrested by the Stalinist terror regime and, like most senior Estonian politicians at the time, was either executed or died in Soviet captivity soon afterwards. Tõnisson was still alive in June 1941, when he is known to have been imprisoned, and interrogated, in Tallinn. The exact date and location of his death and place of burial remain unknown. According to circumstantial evidence, Tõnisson was most probably executed by the Soviet NKVD in the beginning of July 1941. Early life Tõnisson was born on near Tänassilma, Viiratsi Parish, Viljandi County, then part of the Governorate of Livonia of the Russian Empire. He grew up during the Estonian national awakening, being inspired by nationalist ideas already in his childhood. Tõnisson studied in the parish school and later also in high school of Viljandi. He went on to study at the Faculty of Law of the University of Tartu, graduating in 1892 with a degree in law (candidatus juris). While at university, he joined the young fraternal Estonian Students' Society, a group which played an important role in the national movement in the late 19th and early 20th century. Tõnisson became the chairman of the society, acquainting him with Villem Reimann, leader of the national movement of that time. Career National movement Russification policy had closed several Estonian organizations and prominent students, including Jaan Tõnisson, started speaking up, finding support among ethnic Estonians. In 1893, Tõnisson became the editor of the largest by circulation Estonian daily Postimees. With the help of Tõnisson, the "Tartu Renaissance", a period when Estonians sought to weaken the Russification policy. In 1896, Tõnisson, along with several of his closest associates, bought the newspaper Postimees turning it into the tribune of the national movement for the decades to follow. Tõnisson supported nationalism, that would stand on strong moral grounds and wouldn't seek to conquer other nations. In his mind, a nation would have to grow strong in spirit. Tõnisson also fought for the development of the Estonian economy, paying special attention to the joint activities, such as the establishing of the