President K. J. Ståhlberg |
|
---|---|
1st President of Finland | |
In office 26 July 1919 – 2 March 1925 |
|
Prime Minister |
Kaarlo Castrén Juho Vennola Rafael Erich A. K. Cajander Kyösti Kallio Lauri Ingman |
Succeeded by | Lauri Kristian Relander |
Personal details | |
Born |
Suomussalmi, Finland |
28 January 1865
Died | 22 September 1952 Helsinki, Finland |
(aged 87)
Nationality | Finnish |
Political party | National Progressive Party (ED) |
Spouse(s) | Hedvig Irene Wåhlberg (desc.); Ester Hällström |
Profession | Lawyer; Civil servant; Professor; Judge |
Kaarlo Juho Ståhlberg (28 January 1865 – 22 September 1952) was a Finnish jurist and academic, who played a central role in the drafting of the Constitution of Finland in 1919. He was the first President of Finland (1919–1925) and a liberal nationalist.
Ståhlberg (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈstoːlbærj], Finnish: [ˈstoːlberi]) was born in Suomussalmi, in the Kainuu region of Finland. He was the second child of Johan (Janne) Gabriel Ståhlberg, an assistant pastor, and Amanda Gustafa Castrén. On both sides of his family, Ståhlberg's male forebears had been Lutheran clergymen. He was christened Carl Johan (Swedish: [ˈkɑːɭ ˈjuːhan]), but later Finnicized his forenames to Kaarlo Juho (pronounced [ˈkɑːrlo ˈjuho]), as did most Fennomans (i.e. the supporters of Finnish language and culture instead of Swedish).
Ståhlberg and his family lived in Lahti, where he also went for grammar school. Ståhlberg's father died when he was a boy, leaving his family in a difficult financial position. With the aid of Finnish philanthropist Lauri Kovalainen, the family moved to Oulu, where the children entered school. Kaarlo's mother worked to support the family. Lauri Kovalainen had a strong influence on the young Ståhlberg who Ståhlberg later wrote was like a 2nd father to him. Ståhlberg's family had always spoken and supported the Finnish language, and the young Ståhlberg was enrolled in Oulu's private Finnish lycee, where he would excel, and was the primus of his class. In 1889 he graduated as a Bachelor of Arts in Law from the University of Helsinki. He gained his Doctorate in Law in 1893.