Otto Tief
Otto Tief ( – 5 March 1976) was an Estonian politician, military commander, and a lawyer. Tief was the acting prime minister of the last government of Estonia before Soviet troops occupied Estonia in the Second World War in September 1944. Due to his commitment to his country, Tief is regarded by many of his fellow countrymen as a symbol of national resistance. Education and career Tief studied law in St Petersburg between 1910 and 1916. During the Estonian War of Independence, Tief was a commander in the Kalevlaste Maleva battalion formed in 1918 by members of the Kalev sports society. Following the war, he graduated in law from the University of Tartu in 1921. He served as legal counsel to Eesti Maapank (the Estonian Land-Bank) and also worked in private practice as a lawyer. Tief was elected to parliament (third Riigikogu) in 1926 and served as the Minister of Social Affairs from 1926 to 1927. In 1928, he was the Minister of Justice. In 1932, he was elected to the fifth Riigikogu. ´´ Tief government of 1944 During the turbulent days in September 1944, between the retreat of the German occupation forces in Estonia and the onslaught of the