115 years ago today, on 9th June 1906, Voldemar Lender became the first Estonian mayor of Tallinn. Previously, the mayors of Tallinn had either been Baltic Germans or Russians. Voldemar Lender was an engineer by profession who served as mayor for seven years until 1913 when Jaan Poska succeeded him.
Voldemar Lender was known as the 'mayor who built a city'. His construction company built many one-and two-story wooden houses with symmetrical facades in Tallinn. These buildings were known as 'Lender houses' and were popular from the late 19th century to the early 20th century, many of them still standing today.
Lender's wife, Elfriede Lender (née Meikov), was a teacher who founded the first Estonian-speaking girls' school in Estonia. They had four children who also went on to lead successful careers.