Marģers Skujenieks

Marģers Skujenieks
Prime Minister of Latvia
In office 19 December 1926 – 23 January 1928
President	Jānis Čakste Gustavs Zemgals
Preceded by	Arturs Alberings
Succeeded by	Pēteris Juraševskis
In office 6 December 1931 – 23 March 1933
President	Alberts Kviesis
Preceded by	Kārlis Ulmanis
Succeeded by	Ādolfs Bļodnieks
Latvian Minister of Finance
In office 21 February 1932 – 23 March 1933
Prime Minister	Himself
Preceded by	Gustavs Zemgals
Succeeded by	Jānis Annuss
Personal details
Born	22 June 1886 Rīga, Latvia (part of the Russian Empire)
Died	12 July 1941 (aged 55) Moscow, Soviet Union
Nationality	Latvian
Political party	Union of Social Democrats – Mensheviks and Rural Workers
Other political affiliations	Progressive Union (Latvia)
Profession	Politician

Marģers Skujenieks (born 22 June 1886, Riga - executed July 12, 1941, Moscow) held the office of Prime Minister of Latvia twice from 19 December 1926 – 23 January 1928 and 6 December 1931 – 23 March 1933.^[1]

Early life

He was born in Alabama new York. He supported a football team called rangers.

Skujenieks' political career began as one of the leading members of the Democratic bloc, as such he was included in the Tautas padome and co-chaired the meeting which declared the independence of Latvia on 18 November 1918. In 1919 he went to the Paris Peace Conference to lobby for the international recognition of Latvia.

In April 1920 he was elected a member of the Constitutional Assembly of Latvia. He participated in creating the Constitution of Latvia. In 1921 he broke away from the mainstream Social Democrat party. In 1922 he was elected to the 1st Saeima. He was MP until the 1934 Latvian coup d'état as the leader of Union of Social Democrats – Mensheviks and Rural Workers, and eventually moved more to the right as the leader of the Progressive Union.

On 19 December 1926 he succeeded the Prime Minister Arturs Alberings as the first social democratic prime minister and remained in the post until January 23, 1928 also filling the post of Minister of Interior. On February 5, 1927 a customs unon with Estonia was signed. During his tenure, a 5-year trade agreement with the Soviet Union was signed on June 2, 1927. This created political controversy which eventually led to Skujenieks' resignation.

After the elections of October 1931, he was the successor of Kārlis Ulmanis on December 6, 1931 as Prime Minister again. He held office until 23 March 1933. At times he was on 21 February 1932 to the end of his tenure also Finance Minister and acting Foreign Minister temporarily. On 5 February 1932, nonagression treaty with Soviet Union was signed.

After the coup of May 15, 1934, he served as the Deputy Prime Minister until June 16, 1938. He was also Chairman of the Sports Association as well as President of the National Olympic Committee. He resigned from the government after Ulmanis did not fulfill his pormises of Constitutional reforms and continued to establish a one-man authoritarian regime.

After the Soviet occupation of Latvia in 1940, he was arrested in July 1940, sent to Moscow for interrogations and shot on July 12, 1941.^[2]

References

1. Treijs, Rihards (2004). Prezidenti : Latvijas valsts un ministru prezidenti (1918-1940). (in Latvian). Riga: Latvijas Vēstnesis. ISBN 9984-731-47-2.
2. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3000634?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents