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Lauri Kristian Relander

Lauri Kristian Relander (Finnish: [ˈrelɑnder], Finland Swedish: [reˈlɑnːder]; 31 May 1883 – 9 February 1942) was the second president of Finland (1925–1931). A prominent member of the Agrarian League, he served as a member of Parliament, and as Speaker, before his election as President.[1]

Lauri Kristian Relander
Relander in 1928
2nd President of Finland
In office
2 March 1925 – 2 March 1931
Prime MinisterLauri Ingman
Antti Tulenheimo
Kyösti Kallio
Väinö Tanner
Juho Sunila
Oskari Mantere
Pehr Evind Svinhufvud
Preceded byKaarlo Juho Ståhlberg
Succeeded byPehr Evind Svinhufvud
Personal details
Born(1883-05-31)31 May 1883
Kurkijoki, Finland (now in the Republic of Karelia, Russia)
Died9 February 1942(1942-02-09) (aged 58)
Helsinki, Finland
Resting placeHietaniemi Cemetery
Political partyAgrarian League
SpouseSigne Relander

Relander is widely regarded as the most unknown of Finland's presidents, as he has been considered a colorless and weak president who, during a domestic politically broken period, allowed himself to be guided without a clear line of his own.[2] In foreign policy, the policy of isolation was continued during Relander's term, although on the other hand the president did valuable work in representing Finland abroad and establishing relations at the head of state level with neighboring states, such as the other Nordic countries.[2] Also during his presidency, Relander emphasized the preservation of social peace and otherwise required the left wing to accept the rules of the democracy, the right wing to accept the rules of the republic, and the nationalists to agree on the Finnish language policy.[2]

Early life and career edit

Relander was born in Kurkijoki, in Karelia, the son of Evald Kristian Relander, an agronomist, and Gertrud Maria Olsoni. He was christened Lars Kristian (Finland Swedish: [lɑːrs ˈkristi(j)ɑn]), but he Finnicized his forenames to Lauri Kristian (Finnish: [ˈlɑu̯ri ˈkristiɑn]) during his time at school. Relander followed in his father's footsteps by enrolling at the University of Helsinki in 1901 to study agronomy. He gained his first bachelor's degree in philosophy in 1905, and his second, in agronomy, the following year. That year also saw his marriage to Signe Maria Österman (1886–1962). They had two children, Maja-Lisa (1907–1990) and Ragnar (1910–1970).

The major subjects for Relander's master's degree, which he gained in 1907, were agricultural chemistry and agricultural economics. After obtaining his degree, Relander worked from 1908 to 1917 as a researcher at a state agricultural experimental institution, carrying out some important research in his field. He also continued his studies, gaining his Doctorate in 1914. However, his attempts at this time to gain a lectureship at the University of Helsinki failed. At this time Relander was also politically active in the Agrarian League. He was elected to Parliament in 1910, serving until 1913, and again from 1917 to 1920. By 1917, he had become one of the leaders of the party.

Politician edit

After independence, his political career went well. He was a prominent member of his party and served on a number of parliamentary committees. Relander was elected as Speaker of the Eduskunta for its 1919 session and part of its 1920 session. Later that year, he was appointed Governor of the Province of Viipuri. However, in the 1920s he did not have enough support in his own party to become a minister.

In 1925, Relander was nominated as his party's candidate for that year's presidential election, which was confirmed only days before election day. Relander was only 41 at the time, and his nomination came as a surprise. It was further guaranteed by the fact that some of the party's key figures, such as Santeri Alkio and Kyösti Kallio, declined to stand.

Relander was elected in the third ballot of the electoral college, defeating the National Progressive Party candidate Risto Ryti by 172 votes to 109. He was elected largely due to the fact that he attracted less opposition than Risto Ryti[citation needed]. According to some contemporaries, at least the Swedish People's Party electors more eagerly voted for Relander because his wife happened to be a Finland Swede. That story may be partly apocryphal because also Ryti had a Finland-Swedish wife. On the other hand, Ryti had campaigned as a "Finnish peasant's son." Strong right-wing opposition to the outgoing Progressive (liberal) President K. J. Ståhlberg, Ryti's membership in the same party, and at least some career politicians' desire for a more approachable and less independent President may partly explain Relander's victory.

Two other important factors should be mentioned. Relander was an active member of the "Suojeluskunta" (Civil Guard) voluntary military organization, and he accepted the right-wing worldview typical of White veterans of the Civil War clearly more wholeheartedly than Ryti. Also as people, Relander and Ryti were notably different: despite having a doctorate, Relander was much more talkative and social than the intellectual and thoughtful Ryti.[3][4][5][6][7]

President edit

 
Relander and President of Latvia Jānis Čakste during Relander's 1926 official visit to Latvia. In the background, the Foreign Minister of Finland Eemil Nestor Setälä to the right.

As President, Relander was politically inexperienced and young. Politicians and other opinion leaders could not take him seriously[citation needed]. Relander had no political base to speak of, and he was deemed to have no particular program for his presidency,[2] which further decreased his support. Even Relander's continual state visits and trips drew criticism, leading to him gaining the nickname of Reissu-Lasse (Travelling Lasse). He was continually compared to Ståhlberg and his performance as president, which was the almost complete opposite of Relander. Ståhlberg, of course, did not appreciate his successor at all but would have preferred to have seen Ryti as his successor; when Relander was elected, he muttered:

May those take care of him who have hired him for it.[8]

The cabinets during his term tended to be weak, short-lived minority cabinets, like in most European democracies of the time. All in all, Relander is remembered as a weak leader. On the other hand, Relander was an idealist, deplored the toughness of political game and preferred minority governments of supposedly excellent individuals over majority governments of unprincipled individuals.[6]

Relander can not be considered a strong president, but he did a few notable things during his single term. He allowed the Social Democrats to form a minority government (1926–1927), appointed Finland's first female cabinet minister, Miina Sillanpää (as Assistant Minister of Social Welfare), dissolved Parliament twice (in 1929 over a dispute on the civil servants' salaries and in 1930 to have the Parliament outlaw the Communist Party, which required a constitutional amendment and thus a two-thirds majority), and generally supported the far-right Lapua Movement until it started to kidnap various political opponents. Relander himself considered his worst mistake to be shaking hands with the leader of the movement, Vihtori Kosola, in connection with a peasant march in the summer of 1930, which was considered to be a good example of Relander's indiscretion.[2] He maintained a rather close friendship with the Social Democratic leader, Väinö Tanner.[4]

 
Relander relaxing in Kultaranta, a summer residence of the Finnish presidents

In the late autumn of 1930, Relander realized he would not be re-elected and during the winter of 1930–31 sabotaged the prospects of his former Agrarian League colleague and rival Kyösti Kallio so that Pehr Evind Svinhufvud, Relander's former Prime Minister, was elected. In Relander's opinion, Kallio did not talk straight to him and schemed behind his back to weaken his presidency and help his political opponents. In Kallio's opinion, Relander was a rather inexperienced politician who had high ideals but not enough common sense to implement them.[4][5][6][9] As it is, the dispute between Relander and Kallio was due to personal chemistry and political line differences, as Relander, for example, was more positive about right-wing radicalism, a nationalist movement like the Lapua Movement, which marked his presidency so badly that his own party representatives were not worth defending. Even later, the battle for the party was later personified by Kallio and J. E. Sunila, the latter of whom was supported by Relander.[2]

After his term as president, he served from 1931 to 1942 as the General Manager of Suomen maalaisten paloapuyhdistys, a fire insurance company for rural people.[10] Relander died on 9 February, 1942 of heart failure.[2] He was buried in the Hietaniemi Cemetery.

Legacy edit

 
Relander's 100th Birthday Celebratory postage Stamp from 1983

The Relander Square (Relanderinaukio) in Helsinki's Kulosaari was named after Relander in 1959.[11] An abstract Relander Memorial sculpture by Matti Peltokangas was erected on Helsinki's Hesperia Esplanade in 1996.[12][13]

Honours edit

National Honours edit

Foreign Honours edit

Coat of Arms edit

Coat of arms of Lauri Kristian Relander
 
Armiger
Lauri Kristian Relander
Crest
On a torse Or and Sable a lance Or issuant and bearing a Banner with at the hoist a Canton Gules charged with the Finnish Lion surrounded with eight Roses Argent, the rest of the banner per fess Argent and Azure.
Escutcheon
Sable three Ears of corn Or
Motto
Patriae Servio ("I serve the Country").
Orders
Collars of the Order of the Elephant and of the Royal Order of the Seraphim
Other versions
    

References edit

  1. ^ . Eduskunta. Archived from the original on 2012-02-12.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Pietiäinen, Jukka-Pekka (June 7, 2000). "Relander, Lauri Kristian (1883–1942)". Kansallisbiografia (in Finnish). Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
  3. ^ Turtola, Martti (1994). Risto Ryti: Elämä isänmaan puolesta (in Finnish). Helsinki: Otava.
  4. ^ a b c Virkkunen, Sakari (1994). Suomen presidentit I: Ståhlberg – Relander – Svinhufvud (in Finnish). Helsinki: Otava.
  5. ^ a b Virkkunen, Sakari (1994). Suomen presidentit II: Kallio – Ryti – Mannerheim (in Finnish). Helsinki: Otava.
  6. ^ a b c "The Republic's Presidents 1919–1931" / Tasavallan presidentit 1919–1931, published in Finland in 1993–94
  7. ^ "The Republic's Presidents 1940–1956" / Tasavallan presidentit 1940–1956, published in Finland in 1993–94
  8. ^ Olavi Jouslehto & Jaakko Okker: Tamminiemestä Mäntyniemeen, p. 33. Porvoo-Helsinki: WSOY, 2000. (in Finnish)
  9. ^ Hokkanen, Kari (1986). Kyösti Kallio 1, 1873–1929 (in Finnish). Porvoo, Helsinki, Juva: Werner Söderström Osakeyhtiö.
  10. ^ "Suomen presidentit -sarja: Relander oli sovittelija". Artikkelit (in Finnish). Apu. December 6, 2017. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  11. ^ Olavi Terho: Helsingin kadunnimet (in Finnish), p. 199. Helsingin kaupungin julkaisuja 24, 1970, Helsinki.
  12. ^ Marja-Terttu Kivirinta: Presidentti Lauri Kristian Relander saa muistomerkin Hesperian puistoon. Helsingin Sanomat, June 1, 1993. (in Finnish)
  13. ^ Relander-muistomerkki – Helsingin taidemuseon Julkiset veistokset -tietokanta (in Finnish)

External links edit

  Media related to Lauri Kristian Relander at Wikimedia Commons

Political offices
Preceded by Speaker of the Parliament of Finland
1919–1920
Succeeded by
Preceded by President of Finland
2 March 1925 – 2 March 1931
Succeeded by

lauri, kristian, relander, finnish, ˈrelɑnder, finland, swedish, reˈlɑnːder, 1883, february, 1942, second, president, finland, 1925, 1931, prominent, member, agrarian, league, served, member, parliament, speaker, before, election, president, relander, 19282nd,. Lauri Kristian Relander Finnish ˈrelɑnder Finland Swedish reˈlɑnːder 31 May 1883 9 February 1942 was the second president of Finland 1925 1931 A prominent member of the Agrarian League he served as a member of Parliament and as Speaker before his election as President 1 Lauri Kristian RelanderRelander in 19282nd President of FinlandIn office 2 March 1925 2 March 1931Prime MinisterLauri Ingman Antti TulenheimoKyosti KallioVaino TannerJuho SunilaOskari ManterePehr Evind SvinhufvudPreceded byKaarlo Juho StahlbergSucceeded byPehr Evind SvinhufvudPersonal detailsBorn 1883 05 31 31 May 1883Kurkijoki Finland now in the Republic of Karelia Russia Died9 February 1942 1942 02 09 aged 58 Helsinki FinlandResting placeHietaniemi CemeteryPolitical partyAgrarian LeagueSpouseSigne RelanderRelander is widely regarded as the most unknown of Finland s presidents as he has been considered a colorless and weak president who during a domestic politically broken period allowed himself to be guided without a clear line of his own 2 In foreign policy the policy of isolation was continued during Relander s term although on the other hand the president did valuable work in representing Finland abroad and establishing relations at the head of state level with neighboring states such as the other Nordic countries 2 Also during his presidency Relander emphasized the preservation of social peace and otherwise required the left wing to accept the rules of the democracy the right wing to accept the rules of the republic and the nationalists to agree on the Finnish language policy 2 Contents 1 Early life and career 2 Politician 3 President 4 Legacy 5 Honours 5 1 National Honours 5 2 Foreign Honours 5 3 Coat of Arms 6 References 7 External linksEarly life and career editRelander was born in Kurkijoki in Karelia the son of Evald Kristian Relander an agronomist and Gertrud Maria Olsoni He was christened Lars Kristian Finland Swedish lɑːrs ˈkristi j ɑn but he Finnicized his forenames to Lauri Kristian Finnish ˈlɑu ri ˈkristiɑn during his time at school Relander followed in his father s footsteps by enrolling at the University of Helsinki in 1901 to study agronomy He gained his first bachelor s degree in philosophy in 1905 and his second in agronomy the following year That year also saw his marriage to Signe Maria Osterman 1886 1962 They had two children Maja Lisa 1907 1990 and Ragnar 1910 1970 The major subjects for Relander s master s degree which he gained in 1907 were agricultural chemistry and agricultural economics After obtaining his degree Relander worked from 1908 to 1917 as a researcher at a state agricultural experimental institution carrying out some important research in his field He also continued his studies gaining his Doctorate in 1914 However his attempts at this time to gain a lectureship at the University of Helsinki failed At this time Relander was also politically active in the Agrarian League He was elected to Parliament in 1910 serving until 1913 and again from 1917 to 1920 By 1917 he had become one of the leaders of the party Politician editAfter independence his political career went well He was a prominent member of his party and served on a number of parliamentary committees Relander was elected as Speaker of the Eduskunta for its 1919 session and part of its 1920 session Later that year he was appointed Governor of the Province of Viipuri However in the 1920s he did not have enough support in his own party to become a minister In 1925 Relander was nominated as his party s candidate for that year s presidential election which was confirmed only days before election day Relander was only 41 at the time and his nomination came as a surprise It was further guaranteed by the fact that some of the party s key figures such as Santeri Alkio and Kyosti Kallio declined to stand Relander was elected in the third ballot of the electoral college defeating the National Progressive Party candidate Risto Ryti by 172 votes to 109 He was elected largely due to the fact that he attracted less opposition than Risto Ryti citation needed According to some contemporaries at least the Swedish People s Party electors more eagerly voted for Relander because his wife happened to be a Finland Swede That story may be partly apocryphal because also Ryti had a Finland Swedish wife On the other hand Ryti had campaigned as a Finnish peasant s son Strong right wing opposition to the outgoing Progressive liberal President K J Stahlberg Ryti s membership in the same party and at least some career politicians desire for a more approachable and less independent President may partly explain Relander s victory Two other important factors should be mentioned Relander was an active member of the Suojeluskunta Civil Guard voluntary military organization and he accepted the right wing worldview typical of White veterans of the Civil War clearly more wholeheartedly than Ryti Also as people Relander and Ryti were notably different despite having a doctorate Relander was much more talkative and social than the intellectual and thoughtful Ryti 3 4 5 6 7 President edit nbsp Relander and President of Latvia Janis Cakste during Relander s 1926 official visit to Latvia In the background the Foreign Minister of Finland Eemil Nestor Setala to the right As President Relander was politically inexperienced and young Politicians and other opinion leaders could not take him seriously citation needed Relander had no political base to speak of and he was deemed to have no particular program for his presidency 2 which further decreased his support Even Relander s continual state visits and trips drew criticism leading to him gaining the nickname of Reissu Lasse Travelling Lasse He was continually compared to Stahlberg and his performance as president which was the almost complete opposite of Relander Stahlberg of course did not appreciate his successor at all but would have preferred to have seen Ryti as his successor when Relander was elected he muttered May those take care of him who have hired him for it 8 The cabinets during his term tended to be weak short lived minority cabinets like in most European democracies of the time All in all Relander is remembered as a weak leader On the other hand Relander was an idealist deplored the toughness of political game and preferred minority governments of supposedly excellent individuals over majority governments of unprincipled individuals 6 Relander can not be considered a strong president but he did a few notable things during his single term He allowed the Social Democrats to form a minority government 1926 1927 appointed Finland s first female cabinet minister Miina Sillanpaa as Assistant Minister of Social Welfare dissolved Parliament twice in 1929 over a dispute on the civil servants salaries and in 1930 to have the Parliament outlaw the Communist Party which required a constitutional amendment and thus a two thirds majority and generally supported the far right Lapua Movement until it started to kidnap various political opponents Relander himself considered his worst mistake to be shaking hands with the leader of the movement Vihtori Kosola in connection with a peasant march in the summer of 1930 which was considered to be a good example of Relander s indiscretion 2 He maintained a rather close friendship with the Social Democratic leader Vaino Tanner 4 nbsp Relander relaxing in Kultaranta a summer residence of the Finnish presidentsIn the late autumn of 1930 Relander realized he would not be re elected and during the winter of 1930 31 sabotaged the prospects of his former Agrarian League colleague and rival Kyosti Kallio so that Pehr Evind Svinhufvud Relander s former Prime Minister was elected In Relander s opinion Kallio did not talk straight to him and schemed behind his back to weaken his presidency and help his political opponents In Kallio s opinion Relander was a rather inexperienced politician who had high ideals but not enough common sense to implement them 4 5 6 9 As it is the dispute between Relander and Kallio was due to personal chemistry and political line differences as Relander for example was more positive about right wing radicalism a nationalist movement like the Lapua Movement which marked his presidency so badly that his own party representatives were not worth defending Even later the battle for the party was later personified by Kallio and J E Sunila the latter of whom was supported by Relander 2 After his term as president he served from 1931 to 1942 as the General Manager of Suomen maalaisten paloapuyhdistys a fire insurance company for rural people 10 Relander died on 9 February 1942 of heart failure 2 He was buried in the Hietaniemi Cemetery Legacy edit nbsp Relander s 100th Birthday Celebratory postage Stamp from 1983The Relander Square Relanderinaukio in Helsinki s Kulosaari was named after Relander in 1959 11 An abstract Relander Memorial sculpture by Matti Peltokangas was erected on Helsinki s Hesperia Esplanade in 1996 12 13 Honours editNational Honours edit nbsp Finland Grand Cross of the Order of the White Rose of Finland Finland nbsp Sweden Knight of the Royal Order of the Seraphim Sweden Foreign Honours edit nbsp Norway Knight of the Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav Norway nbsp Denmark Knight of the Order of the Elephant Denmark nbsp Estonia Cross of Liberty Estonia nbsp Estonia Order of the Cross of the Eagle Estonia nbsp Latvia Order of the Three Stars 1st Class with Collar Latvia nbsp Poland Order of the White Eagle Poland nbsp Belgium Order of Leopold Belgium Coat of Arms edit Coat of arms of Lauri Kristian Relander nbsp Armiger Lauri Kristian Relander Crest On a torse Or and Sable a lance Or issuant and bearing a Banner with at the hoist a Canton Gules charged with the Finnish Lion surrounded with eight Roses Argent the rest of the banner per fess Argent and Azure Escutcheon Sable three Ears of corn Or Motto Patriae Servio I serve the Country Orders Collars of the Order of the Elephant and of the Royal Order of the Seraphim Other versions nbsp nbsp nbsp References edit Edustajamatrikkeli Eduskunta Archived from the original on 2012 02 12 a b c d e f g Pietiainen Jukka Pekka June 7 2000 Relander Lauri Kristian 1883 1942 Kansallisbiografia in Finnish Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura Retrieved December 12 2019 Turtola Martti 1994 Risto Ryti Elama isanmaan puolesta in Finnish Helsinki Otava a b c Virkkunen Sakari 1994 Suomen presidentit I Stahlberg Relander Svinhufvud in Finnish Helsinki Otava a b Virkkunen Sakari 1994 Suomen presidentit II Kallio Ryti Mannerheim in Finnish Helsinki Otava a b c The Republic s Presidents 1919 1931 Tasavallan presidentit 1919 1931 published in Finland in 1993 94 The Republic s Presidents 1940 1956 Tasavallan presidentit 1940 1956 published in Finland in 1993 94 Olavi Jouslehto amp Jaakko Okker Tamminiemesta Mantyniemeen p 33 Porvoo Helsinki WSOY 2000 in Finnish Hokkanen Kari 1986 Kyosti Kallio 1 1873 1929 in Finnish Porvoo Helsinki Juva Werner Soderstrom Osakeyhtio Suomen presidentit sarja Relander oli sovittelija Artikkelit in Finnish Apu December 6 2017 Retrieved May 24 2021 Olavi Terho Helsingin kadunnimet in Finnish p 199 Helsingin kaupungin julkaisuja 24 1970 Helsinki Marja Terttu Kivirinta Presidentti Lauri Kristian Relander saa muistomerkin Hesperian puistoon Helsingin Sanomat June 1 1993 in Finnish Relander muistomerkki Helsingin taidemuseon Julkiset veistokset tietokanta in Finnish External links edit nbsp Media related to Lauri Kristian Relander at Wikimedia Commons Finnish national biography Lauri Kristian Relander at Find a Grave Newspaper clippings about Lauri Kristian Relander in the 20th Century Press Archives of the ZBW L K Relander in The Presidents of FinlandPolitical officesPreceded byPaavo Virkkunen Speaker of the Parliament of Finland1919 1920 Succeeded byKyosti KallioPreceded byKaarlo Juho Stahlberg President of Finland2 March 1925 2 March 1931 Succeeded byPehr Evind Svinhufvud Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Lauri Kristian Relander amp oldid 1176331129, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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