[3][5][6] His father was the agriculturalist and journalist Hendrik Laas (1862–1919), who was the publisher of Põllumees, the first Estonian agricultural magazine, offered agricultural courses, and owned an experimental farm.
[3] His mother was Marie Johanna Laas (née Leib, 1863–1919).
[5] Laas attended the University of Tartu, Riga Polytechnical Institute, and Nikolaevsky Engineering Academy.
[3] During the First World War, Laas was an officer in the Siberian sapper regiment, and he received six Russian and French medals of honor for bravery.
During the Estonian War of Independence, Laas served in the government and the air force.