Juhan Kukk

Juhan (Johann) Kukk VR III/1 (13 April [O.S. 1 April] 1885[1] in Käru, Salla Parish (now in Rakke Parish), Viru County, Estonia – 4 December 1942 in Kargopol, Arkhangelsk Oblast, Soviet Union) was an Estonian politician.

Kukk finished the Tartu High School of Sciences, studied in the Commerce Department of the Riga Polytechnical School in 1904–1910 and got additional education in Germany, graduated with the diploma of first degree.

In 1917–1918 Kukk was Head of the Financial Dept. of the Estonian Province Government (Maapäev), 1918–1919 Financial and State Property Minister of the Estonian Provisional Government, 1919–1920 Minister of Finance of the Republic of Estonia, 1920–1921 Minister of Commerce and Industry, from 18 November 1921 to 22 November 1922 Speaker of the I Riigikogu,[2] 1922–1924 Director of the Bank of Estonia. He was member of the I and II Riigikogu, in 1920–1926. From November 1922 to August 1923 Kukk was Head of State.

Kukk was active promoter of the cooperative movement and also worked as Chairman of the Council of the Estonian Cooperation Union, Director of the Central Union of the Estonian Consumers Union, for some time also the Chairman of the Board of this Union. From 1920 he was also Chairman of the Board of Rahvapank (People's Bank) and 1924–1926 director of Bank of Estonia.

Kukk was arrested by the NKVD in 1940, he died in imprisonment in 1942.