| 22nd | Top Finnish politicians: 20th century |
| Ahti Karjalainen | |
|
|
|
|
In office April 13, 1962 – December 18, 1963 |
|
| Deputy | Johannes Virolainen |
|---|---|
| Preceded by | Martti Miettunen |
| Succeeded by | Reino Ragnar Lehto |
|
In office July 15, 1970 – October 29, 1971 |
|
| Deputy | Veikko Helle |
| Preceded by | Teuvo Aura |
| Succeeded by | Teuvo Aura |
|
|
|
| Born | 10 February 1923 Hirvensalmi |
| Died | 7 September 1990 |
| Political party | Centre Party |
Ahti Kalle Samuli Karjalainen (10 February 1923 in Hirvensalmi – 7 September 1990 in Helsinki) was a Finnish politician. He was a member of the Agrarian League (later known as Keskusta, Centre Party) and was Prime Minister of Finland for two terms [1]. Karjalainen can be considered one of the most influential people in post-war Finnish politics and economy. He was well known for his good relations with the Soviet Union.
Karjalainen served as second Minister of Treasury, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Trade and Industry from 1957, until he formed his first government on 13 April 1962, which was in session for 615 days until 18 December 1963. After that, the government was disbanded because SAK-sympathetic ministers had resigned because of economy-political disagreements. Karjalainen's second government was in session 15 July 1970 - 29 October 1971. Karjalainen's ministrial career continued with only minor breaks to May, 1977, when he had spent 5772 days as a political minister. In the history of Finnish politics, this is second only to Johannes Virolainen. Karjalainen was nominated as a candidate for the Parliament of Finland in 1966 and served as Member of the Parliament for 13 years.
Urho Kekkonen took Karjalainen as his secretary in his first government in 1950. This was the start of co-operation between Kekkonen and Karjalainen, which continued as good and tight for over 20 years. The co-operation was broken up when Kekkonen disbanded Karjalainen's, who was seen as his future successor, second government in 1971. Karjalainen sought to be the presidential candidate for the Centre Party in 1981, but lost to Johannes Virolainen. In January 1982, Mauno Koivisto was elected as President of Finland after Kekkonen resigned.
Karjalainen had a great career in the Bank of Finland. He served as director of its research facility from 1953 to 1957 and was elected to the Board of Management in 1958. Karjalainen served as deputy Managing Director of the Bank of Finland from 1979, acting Chairman of the Board from 1979 to 1982 and as Managing Director from 1982 to 1983.
Karjalainen was a Doctor of State Sciences. His thesis was entitled "The relationships between the monetary politics of the Bank of Finland and the state economy from 1811 to 1953 mainly regarding liquidity analysis".
Especially the latter part of Karjalainen's political career was influenced by alcoholism (at one stage after he had left the Prime Ministry, there was a national scandal when he was arrested for drunk driving). Karjalainen's use of alcoholic beverages and his rather personal pronunciation of the English language gave him a popular nickname "Tankero". In Finland, "Tankero jokes" have almost become national heritage.
Karjalainen died of pancreatic cancer in September 1990.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Martti Miettunen |
Prime
Ministers of Finland 1962–1963 |
Succeeded by Reino Ragnar Lehto |
| Preceded by Teuvo Aura |
Prime
Ministers of Finland 1970–1971 |
Succeeded by Teuvo Aura |
|
|||||||||
|
|
Wikis
Map
Search
