Peter Leoke

Peter Leoke (May 21, 1892 – April 22, 1973) was an Estonian publisher and activist in the Estonian diaspora movement.

Early life and education Peter Leoke was born in Viljandi, Estonia, the third son of Hans Leoke (a.k.a. Lõuk or Löuk, 1853–1919), the owner of a local bookstore, and Mari Leoke (née Tõllasepp, 1867–1954). He graduated from Imperial Nicholas I High School in Tallinn and studied architecture at the Riga and Moscow polytechnics from 1913 to 1916. He was a member of the Riga-based fraternal student society Korporatsioon Vironia.

Career During the establishment of the Republic of Estonia, Peter Leoke participated in setting up consulates in 1918 in Helsinki and in 1919 in Riga. He took part in the Estonian War of Independence in the artillery and completed his service in 1921 as the commander of a heavy battery. In the same year, he joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a secretary, and the following year he helped the Estonian envoy Tõnis Vares establish the Estonian embassy in Moscow.