Jussi Merinen

Juho Rikard Merinen (20 October 1873 – 20 April 1918) was a Finnish trade unionist, politician and member of the Parliament of Finland, the national legislature of Finland. A member of the Social Democratic Party, he represented Turku Province North between May 1907 and July 1908.^[1] He was executed by the White Guard during the Finnish Civil War.

Jussi Merinen
Member of the Parliament of Finland
In office 22 May 1907 – 31 July 1908
Constituency	Turku Province North
Personal details
Born	Juho Rikard Mustelin (1873-10-20)20 October 1873 Tyrvää, Russian Empire
Died	20 April 1918(1918-04-20) (aged 44) Tyrvää, Finland
Political party	Social Democratic Party of Finland
Occupation	Carpenter

Early life

Merinen was born on 20^[a] October 1873 in Tyrvää.^[1][3] He was educated at folk school and Satakunta Agricultural Society's sculpture school.^[1][4] He worked as a carpenter and a farmhand in Tyrvää.^[1][5]

Trade unionism, politics and death

The Stormi Workers' Association (Stormin työväenyhdistystä) was founded in May 1906.^[6] Merinen, together with his brother August Merinen and Kalle Tyrvää from Laukula, were the key figures behind the association and Jussi was its first chairman.^[6] Merinen was a speaker at the first general crofters meeting (Ensimmäinen yleinen torpparikokous) organised by the Social Democratic Party in 1906.^[1][5] He was elected to the Parliament of Finland at the 1907 parliamentary election.^[7][8] He also contested the 1908, 1913 and 1917 parliamentary elections.^[9][10][11]

Following the outbreak of the Finnish Civil War, the local branch of the social democrats took over the function of the local municipal council.^[6] None of the members of the Stormi Workers' Association met with the local Red delegation nor were they appointed to the institutions set up by delegation.^[6] Stormi Workers' Association members weren't Red Guard officers either.^[6] Later, the Red Guards established a regional council in Stormi, primarily for civil administration purposes, which included members of the Stormi Workers' Association.^[6]

After their victory in the Battle of Karkku in April 1918, most of the leaders of the Stormi Workers' Association were killed by the White Guard.^[6] Merinen was executed by the White Guard on 20 April 1918 in Tyrvää.^[1][3] He was buried at Tyrvää Church.^[12] In September 2018 a new monument to 527 Reds killed in the civil war, including Merinen, was inaugurated at Tyrvää Church.^[13][14]

See also

• List of MPs in Finland imprisoned for political reasons

Notes

1. Other sources give Merinen's date of birth as 29 October 1873.^[2]

References

1. "Kansanedustajat: Jussi Merinen" (in Finnish). Helsinki, Finland: Parliament of Finland. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
2. "Juho (Jussi) Merinen (e. Mustelin) (29.10.1873 - 20.04.1918), SDP:n kansanedustaja 22.05.1907 - 31.07.1908, palstatilallinen". Finna. National Library of Finland. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
3. "Person: Merinen, Juho Rikard". War Victims of Finland 1914–1922. Helsinki, Finland: National Archives of Finland. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
4. "Satakunnan Maanviljelysseuran veistokoulu". Satakunta (in Finnish). No. 113. Pori, Finland. 6 October 1904. p. 3. Retrieved 23 July 2023 – via National Library of Finland.
5. (in Finnish). Helsinki, Finland: Työväen Kirjapaino. 1909. p. 44. Archived from the original on 24 September 2022. Retrieved 23 July 2023 – via Helsinki University Library.
6. "Tyrvään Sosialidemokraatit 100 vuotta". Alueviesti (in Finnish). No. 49. Sastamala, Finland. 7 December 2006. p. 19. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
7. Toiset Valtiopäivät v. 1907: Pöytäkirjat I - Valtiopäivien alusta kesäkuun 8 päivään (PDF) (in Finnish). Helsinki, Finland: Parliament of Finland. 1907. p. 2. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
8. "Suomen Sosialidemokratisen puolueen kansanedustajat vuosina 1907–1909". Punanen Viesti (in Finnish). No. XV. Turku, Finland. Spring 1922. p. 11. Retrieved 23 July 2023 – via National Library of Finland.
9. "Kuulutus". Satakunta (in Finnish). No. 80. Pori, Finland. 23 July 1908. p. 1. Retrieved 23 July 2023 – via National Library of Finland.
10. "Kuulutus". Kansan Lehti (in Finnish). No. 191. Tampere, Finland. 22 August 1913. p. 1. Retrieved 23 July 2023 – via National Library of Finland.
11. "Kuulutus". Turun Sanomat (in Finnish). No. 3900. Turku, Finland. 18 October 1917. p. 1. Retrieved 23 July 2023 – via National Library of Finland.
12. "Tyrwään Kirkollisia ilmoituksia". Tyrvään Sanomat (in Finnish). No. 8. Sastamala, Finland. 30 May 1918. p. 1. Retrieved 23 July 2023 – via National Library of Finland.
13. Starkman, Virpi (26 January 2018). "Vuoden 1918 sodassa kuolleiden punaisten nimet kaiverretaan muistomerkkeihin – Työryhmä pyytää yleisön apua – Katso nimilistat tästä". Tyrvään Sanomat (in Finnish). Sastamala, Finland. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
14. Starkman, Virpi (10 August 2018). "Yli 500 nimeä punaisten muistomerkkeihin – "Rikas ja raskas vuosi"". Tyrvään Sanomat (in Finnish). Sastamala, Finland. Retrieved 23 July 2023.