Otto Strandman

Who was Otto Strandman?

Otto August Strandman VR III/1 was an Estonian politician, who served as Prime Minister and State Elder of Estonia. He was one of the leaders of the centre-left Estonian Labour Party, that saw its biggest support after the 1919 and 1920 elections. Strandman was a key figure in composing the radical land reform law and the 1920 Constitution. He also served as Minister of Agriculture, Minister of Justice, Minister of Finance, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of War. While he was in the office of Minister of Finance, he stabilized the economy and managed to avoid hyperinflation. Strandman was also the speaker of both the Estonian Provincial Assembly and Riigikogu. He was a diplomat, serving as an envoy in Warsaw, when he made contacts with Polish politicians, and in Paris. During the Soviet Occupation in 1941, Strandman was ordered to show up to the NKVD headquarters. Already knowing about his fate, he committed suicide in his home in Kadrina.