Ernst Jaakson

(11 August 1905, Riga, Governorate of Livonia, Russian Empire – 4 September 1998, New York, United States) was a diplomat whose main contribution was to maintain the legal state continuity of Estonia with his uninterrupted diplomatic service over 69 years (1929–1998), outliving the period of the Soviet occupation of Estonia (1944–1991).

January 1, 1905 – January 1, 1998

1 quote found

"…New York City designated a portion of Manhattan’s 34th Street Ernst Jaakson Way, thereby posthumously honoring an Estonian diplomat who embodied the principle that force alone is not sufficient to destroy a state if its people and the leaders of the international community refuse to accept such actions. Jaakson (1905-1998) joined the Estonian foreign service at the age of 14 as a translator for the Estonian ambassador in Riga and then worked as a diplomat in the United States, first as a consular official and near the end of his life as ambassador to the US and permanent representative to the United Nations."