Alberts Kviesis

Alberts Kviesis (* December 22, 1881 Tērvete municipality, Latvia; † August 9, 1944 in Riga ) was a Latvian politician and the third president of his country.

Kviesis attended high school in Jelgava and then studied law at the University of Dorpat. After graduating in 1907 he worked as a lawyer. From 1912 he had his own office in Jelgava. During the First World War Kviesis worked for the Red Cross and the Refugee Relief Committee. In addition, he was active politically and entered 1917, the newly founded Latvian Peasant Union ( Latviešu Zemnieku Savieniba ) at. Kviesis was a member of the Latvian People's Council ( Tautas Padome ) who declared in 1918 Latvia's independence. In the 1920s, he had various high offices of state, such as holding Minister and Deputy Speaker of Parliament.

1930 Kviesis was elected President of Latvia in 1933 and confirmed for a second term in office. On May 15, 1934 sparked the Prime Minister Karlis Ulmanis the Saeima, the Latvian parliament, and instituted an authoritarian government. Kviesis disapproved of this coup, but showed no active resistance. He served until 1936 from the remainder of his term of office and signed the laws of the government Ulmanis. Then Ulmanis took over the office of the State President himself

Until the occupation of Latvia in 1940 Kviesis worked as a lawyer again. of the Soviet leaders, he was banned from working and was temporarily placed under house arrest. Thanks to a warning he could escape a planned deportation. When the territory of Latvia was occupied in 1941 by the Wehrmacht, Kviesis returned to Riga. From 1942 he worked at the place by the German Latvian government. Despite his collaboration with the Germans, he condemned the 1943 proclaimed military service in the Latvian Legion. On August 9, 1944 Albert Kviesis died of a heart attack, as he had already gone on a refugee ship to Germany. He is buried at the Riga Forest Cemetery.