Lauri Kristian Relander

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Lauri Kristian Relander bigraphy, stories - Presidents

Lauri Kristian Relander : biography

31 May 1883 – 9 February 1942

Lauri Kristian Relander (May 31, 1883 – February 9, 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.{=911349&=su&=kaikki

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Honours

Awards and decorations

  • : Grand Cross of the Order of the White Rose (Finland)
  • : Grand Cross of the Order of the Cross of Liberty
  • : Knight of the Order of the Seraphim (Sweden)
  • : Knight of the Order of St. Olav
  • : Order of the Elephant (Denmark)
  • : Cross of Liberty (Estonia)
  • : Order of the Cross of the Eagle (Estonia)
  • : Order of the Three Stars (Latvia)
  • : Order of the White Eagle (Poland)
  • : Order of Leopold (Belgium)

Politician

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 – his nomination only being confirmed just 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. 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. This 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 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 did. Also as people, Relander and Ryti were notably different: despite having a doctorate, Relander was a much more talkative and social person than the intellectual and thoughtful Ryti."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

Early life and career

Relander was born in Kurkijoki, in Karelia, the son of Evald Kristian Relander, an agronomist, and Gertrud Maria Olsoni. He was christened Lars Kristian, but he Finnicized his first name to Lauri 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.