Toomas Hendrik Ilves facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Toomas Hendrik Ilves
Ilves in 2011
4th President of Estonia
In office 9 October 2006 – 10 October 2016
Prime Minister	Andrus Ansip Taavi Rõivas
Preceded by	Arnold Rüütel
Succeeded by	Kersti Kaljulaid
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office 25 March 1999 – 28 January 2002
Prime Minister	Mart Laar
Preceded by	Raul Mälk
Succeeded by	Kristiina Ojuland
In office November 1996 – October 1998
Prime Minister	Tiit Vähi Mart Siimann
Preceded by	Siim Kallas
Succeeded by	Raul Mälk
Personal details
Born	(1953-12-26) 26 December 1953 (age 71) Stockholm, Sweden
Political party	Social Democratic Party (Before 2006) Independent (2006–present)
Spouses	Merry Bullock ​ ​ (m. 1981; div. 2004)​ Evelin Int ​ ​ (m. 2004; div. 2015)​ Ieva Kupče ​ ​ (m. 2016; div. 2023)​
Children	4
Alma mater	Columbia University University of Pennsylvania
Signature

Toomas Hendrik Ilves (born 26 December 1953) is an Estonian politician. He served as the fourth president of Estonia from 2006 to 2016.

Before becoming president, Ilves worked as a diplomat and journalist. He was also a leader of the Social Democratic Party in the 1990s. He served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Estonia twice. First, from 1996 to 1998, and again from 1999 to 2002. Later, he became a Member of the European Parliament from 2004 to 2006. He was elected President of Estonia in 2006 and was re-elected in 2011.

Early Life and Education

Ilves was born in Stockholm, Sweden. His parents, Endel and Irene Ilves, left Estonia during World War II when the Soviet Union took control. He grew up in the United States, specifically in Leonia, New Jersey.

He finished Leonia High School in 1972 as the top student. He then earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from Columbia University in 1976. He also received a master's degree in psychology from the University of Pennsylvania in 1978. Besides Estonian, Ilves can speak English, German, Latvian, and Spanish.

Political Career and Public Service

Toomas Hendrik Ilves

From 1985 to 1993, Ilves worked as a journalist for Radio Free Europe in Munich, Germany. He led their Estonian section starting in 1988. After Estonia regained its independence in 1991, Ilves became Estonia's Ambassador to the United States in 1993. He also served as Ambassador to Canada and Mexico at the same time.

In December 1996, Ilves became Estonia's Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs. He held this position until September 1998. He became foreign minister again in March 1999 and served until 2002. He strongly supported Estonia joining the European Union. His efforts helped start the talks that led to Estonia becoming a member on 1 May 2004.

Ilves at the MSC in 2016

In 2003, Ilves became an observer member of the European Parliament. On 1 May 2004, he became a full member. He was elected as a MEP in 2004. He joined the Party of European Socialists group in the Parliament.

During his time as president, Ilves took on several important roles in the field of information and communication technology (ICT) for the European Union. He led the EU Task Force on eHealth from 2011 to 2012. He also chaired the European Cloud Partnership Steering Board from 2012 to 2014. In 2013, he led a high-level group on global internet cooperation. From 2014 to 2015, he co-chaired an advisory panel for the World Bank's 2016 "Digital Dividends" report. He also chaired the World Economic Forum's Global Agenda Council on Cyber Security.

Since 2016, Ilves has been co-chairing a working group for the World Economic Forum on Blockchain Technology. In 2017, he joined Stanford University as a visiting fellow. He also became a distinguished visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University.

Presidential Elections

President Toomas Hendrik Ilves with President George W. Bush in Estonia, 2006

Toomas Hendrik Ilves and Dmitry Medvedev in 2008

Toomas Hendrik Ilves and Fredrik Reinfeldt in 2011

Toomas Hendrik Ilves was put forward as a candidate for the 2006 Estonian presidential election by three political parties. These were the Reform Party, the Union of Pro Patria and Res Publica, and his own Social Democratic Party.

On 23 September 2006, he was elected the next president of Estonia. His five-year term began on 9 October 2006. On 29 August 2011, he was reelected for a second five-year term. He was the first candidate to be elected in the first round since Estonia became independent in 1991.

Personal Life

Ilves meets with President of Taiwan Tsai Ing-wen in 2018

Ilves has been married three times and has four children. He often posts on his Twitter account, sharing his thoughts on current events and his interests. His brother, Andres Ilves, used to lead the Persian and Pashto World Service for the BBC.

Honors and Awards

Toomas Hendrik Ilves (2012)

Arms as knight of the Royal Order of the Seraphim

Toomas Hendrik Ilves has received many honors and awards from Estonia and other countries. These include:

• Collar of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana (Estonia, 2006)
• Collar of the Order of the National Coat of Arms (Estonia, 2008)
• Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold (Belgium, 2008)
• Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of the White Rose of Finland (Finland, 2007)
• Commander of the National Order of Legion of Honour (France, 2001)
• Grand Cross of the Order of Honour (Greece, 1999)
• Recipient of the St. George's Order of Victory (Georgia, 2010)
• Grand Cross with Chain of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary (Hungary, 2009)
• Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of the Falcon (Iceland, 2010)
• Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum (Japan, 2007)
• First Class of the Order of Friendship (Kazakhstan, 2011)
• Commander Grand Cross with Chain of the Order of the Three Stars (Latvia, 2009)
• Grand Cross with Golden Chain of the Order of Vytautas the Great (Lithuania, 2008)
• Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion (Netherlands, 2008)
• Grand Cross of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav (Norway, 2014)
• Knight of the Order of the White Eagle (Poland, 2014)
• Collar of the Order of the Star of Romania (Romania, 2011)
• Collar of the Order of Isabella the Catholic (Spain, 2007)
• Knight of the Royal Order of the Seraphim (Sweden, 2011)
• Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (United Kingdom, 2006)

He has also received several international awards and honorary degrees, including:

• NDI Democracy Award by the National Democratic Institute (2013)
• Freedom Award by the Atlantic Council (2014)
• Knight of Freedom Award by The Casimir Pulaski Foundation (2016)
• John Jay Award by Columbia College, Columbia University (2016)
• Reinhard Mohn Prize by the Bertelsmann Stiftung (2017)
• World Leader in Cybersecurity Award by the Boston Global Forum (2017)
• Honorary Doctorate from Tbilisi State University, Georgia (2007)
• Honorary Doctorate from the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Poland (2010)
• Doctor of Letters honoris causa from St. Olaf College, United States of America (2014)

See also

In Spanish: Toomas Hendrik Ilves para niños

• Legion of Honour