Lauri Kristian Relander
Lauri Kristian Relander (born May 31, 1883 in Kurkijoki near Viipuri , † February 9, 1942 in Helsinki ) was Finnish President from 1925 to 1931 .
Life
Relander, who was baptized as Lars Kristian , was "Finnishized" during his school days in Lauri . He initially followed the career path of his father, who was a graduate farmer and studied agricultural science. In 1910 he was elected to parliament for the Finnish Agricultural Union (later: Finnish Center Party ), and in 1917 he even became party chairman. After Finland declared independence , Relander made a steep political career and in 1919/20 became the spokesman for the Eduskunta , as the Finnish Parliament is called. Initially, there was little support for Relander and he was only put up as a candidate a few days before the presidential election in 1925.
As president, Relander was very inexperienced and political decision-makers couldn't take him seriously. He was accused of failing to set up an adequate program for his presidency. This further diminished his support. Even his trips abroad brought him criticism. He has often been compared to President Kaarlo Juho Ståhlberg , who never went abroad. His cabinet was seen as weak and very short-lived, as in many young democracies of the time.
In 1931 Relander was aware that he could no longer be re-elected and sabotaged the prospects of his party comrade Kyösti Kallio , so that the former Prime Minister Pehr Evind Svinhufvud was elected as his successor.
After serving as president, he was chairman of a fire insurance company for the agricultural community. Relander died of heart failure in 1942.
literature
- Sakari Virkunen: Stålberg, Relander, Svinhufvud (Suomen Presidentit; Vol. 1). Orava, Helsinki 1994, ISBN 951-1-13240-7 .
Web links
- Tihonen, Seppo: The Finnish Presidency as an Institution ( Memento of July 3, 2007 in the Internet Archive ), 1999
- Newspaper article about Lauri Kristian Relander in the 20th century press kit of the ZBW - Leibniz Information Center for Economics .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Relander, Lauri Kristian |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Finnish politician, member of the Reichstag and President (1925–1931) |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 31, 1883 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Kurkijoki |
| DATE OF DEATH | February 9, 1942 |
| Place of death | Helsinki |