Ernst Jaakson

Ernst Rudolf Jaakson (11 August 1905, Riga, Livonia (then Russian Empire) – 4 September 1998, New York, United States)[1] was an Estonian diplomat whose contribution was to maintain Estonia's legal continuity with his uninterrupted diplomatic service for 69 years.

In 1919, Jaakson began work in the legation of the newly independent Estonia in Riga.

In 1928, he started work in the Information Division of the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

During the long years of the Soviet occupation when the Baltic states' representatives in the West were often the object of curiosity or humorous dismissal, Jaakson commanded near-universal respect, and he did so not peremptorily but by his personal authority.

In 1995, Ernst Jaakson's autobiographical book Eestile (For Estonia) was published, which deals not only with his life, but also gives a very good overview of the diplomatic developments which took place over the years.