Kaarlo Juho Ståhlberg
Encyclopedia
Kaarlo Juho Ståhlberg 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 nationalist liberal
.
, 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, but later Finnicized his name to Kaarlo Juho, as did most Fennoman
s (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. The family moved to Oulu
, where they entered school, whilst their mother worked to support the family. 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.
legislation, during the period when Finland was a Russian Grand Duchy
. He was a "constitutionalist" - supporting the already existing Finnish constitutional framework and constitutional legislative policies, including legislative resistance, against the attempted Russification of Finland
. He also came to support the call for women's suffrage
, and had a moderate line on Prohibition
.
Ståhlberg served as secretary of the Diet of Finland
's finance committee in 1891, as a committee secretary for the Diet of Finland
, before being appointed as an assistant professor of Administrative Law and Economics at the University of Helsinki
in 1894. It was at this time that he began his active involvement in politics, becoming a member of the Young Finnish Party
.
In 1893, Ståhlberg married his first wife, Hedvig Irene Wåhlberg (1869–1917). They had six children together: Kaarlo (1894–1977), Aino (1895–1974), Elli (1899–1986), Aune (1901–1967), Juho (1907–1973), and Kyllikki (1908–1994).
In 1898, Ståhlberg was appointed as Protocol Secretary for the Senate's civil affairs subdepartment. This was the second-highest Rapporteur
position in the Finnish government. Ironically, this appointment to a senior position in the Finnish administration was approved by the new Governor General of Finland, Nikolai Bobrikov, whose term in office saw the beginning of the period of Russification, and whose policies represented all that the constitutionalist Ståhlberg was opposed to. Ståhlberg was elected in 1901 as a member of Helsinki City Council, serving until 1903. In 1902, he was dismissed as Protocol Secretary, due to his strict legalist views, and his opposition to legislation on compulsory military service.
(1904–1905) as a member of the Estate of Burgesses. In 1905, he was appointed as a Senator in the newly formed Senate of Leo Mechelin
, with responsibility for trade and industry. One of the most important tasks facing the new constitutionalist Senate was to consider proposals for the reform of the Diet of Finland
and, although initially sceptical about some of the proposal, Ståhlberg played a role in the drafting of the legislation which created the Parliament of Finland
. Ståhlberg resigned from the Senate in 1907, due the rejection by Parliament of a Senate bill on the prohibition of alcohol.
The following year he resumed his academic career, with his appointment as Professor of Administrative Law at the University of Helsinki, a position he retained until 1918. During his time in that post he wrote his most influential piece of work, "Finnish administrative law, volumes I & II." He also remained active in politics, being elected to the central committee of the Young Finnish Party. In 1908, Ståhlberg was elected as a member of Parliament for the Southern Häme constituency, which he represented until 1910. He also served as a member for the Southern Oulu constituency from 1914 until his appointment as President of the Supreme Administrative Court in 1918. Ståhlberg also served as Speaker
of the Parliament in 1914.
After the February Revolution
in 1917, Ståhlberg was backed by the majority of the non-socialists members of Parliament as a candidate to become Vice-Chairman of the Economic Department of the Senate. However, he did not receive the support of the Social Democrats
, which he had made a precondition of his being elected. Instead, the Social Democrat Oskari Tokoi
was elected, with Ståhlberg being appointed as chairman of the Constitutional Council. This body had been set up earlier to draw up plans for a new form of government for Finland, in light of the events surrounding the February Revolution and the abdication of Nicholas II
as Emperor of Russia and Grand Duke of Finland.
The new form of government approved by the council was largely based on the 1772 Instrument of Government
, dating from the period of Swedish rule. The proposed form of government was rejected by the Russian Provisional Government
, and was then left largely forgotten for a time due to the confusion and urgency of the situation surrounding the October Revolution
and the declaration of Finland's independence.
, and debates between republicans and monarchists on the future constitution, all led to various proposals. His proposals would eventually be enacted as the Constitution of Finland in 1919. In 1918, Ståhlberg supported the idea of republic
instead of the then-popular constitutional monarchy
. Ståhlberg's appointment as the first President of the Supreme Administrative Court in 1918 meant that he relinquished his role as a member of Parliament, and was therefore not involved in the election by the Parliament of Prince Frederick Charles of Hesse
as King of Finland in October of that year. As it became clear that Finland would be a republic, Stålberg also championed direct election of the President of Finland
, but the Council of State
chose the electoral college
system, although the first President would be elected by Parliament.
. He was elected by Parliament as President of the Republic on July 25, 1919, defeating Carl Gustaf Mannerheim
(the candidate supported by the National Coalition and Swedish People's parties) by 143 votes to 50 (see, for example, Sakari Virkkunen, "Finland's Presidents I," Helsinki, 1994).
Ståhlberg was inaugurated as the first President of the Republic on the following day, and reluctantly moved out of his home in Helsinki to take up residence in the Presidential Palace
(see, for example, Virkkunen 1994).
As President, Ståhlberg was very formal and, due to his shyness
, wrote everything he had to say in public beforehand. He also had a distaste for official occasions, and it was not solely due to foreign-policy reasons that he declined to make a state visit to Sweden
. He had been a widower since 1917, but in 1920, he married his second wife, Ester Hällström (1870–1950).
As the first President of the Republic, Ståhlberg had to form various presidential precedents and interpretations of how the office of President should be conducted. His term in office was also marked by a succession of short-lived governments. During his time as president, Ståhlberg nominated and appointed eight governments. These were mostly coalitions of the Agrarians and the National Progressive, National Coalition and Swedish People's parties, although Ståhlberg also appointed two caretaker governments. Importantly, Ståhlberg generally supported all the governments that he nominated, although he also sometimes disagreed with them.
He forced Kyösti Kallio's first government to resign in January 1924, when he demanded early elections to restore the full membership of Parliament - 200 deputies - and Kallio disagreed. The Parliament had lacked 27 deputies since August 1923, when the Communist deputies had been arrested on suspicions of treason (see Sakari Virkkunen, "The Finnish Presidents I: Ståhlberg - Relander - Svinhufvud" / Suomen presidentit I: Ståhlberg - Relander - Svinhufvud, Helsinki: Otava Publications Ltd., 1994).
Ståhlberg supported moderate social and economic reforms to make even the former Reds accept the bourgeois republic. He pardoned
most of the Red prisoners, despite the strong criticism that this aroused from many right-wing Finns, especially the White veterans
of the Civil War and several senior army officers. He signed into law bills that gave the trade unions an equal power with the employers' organizations to negotiate labour contracts, a bill to improve the public care for the poor, and the Lex Kallio bill which
distributed land from the wealthy landowners to the former tenant farmers and other landless rural people (see, for example,
Virkkunen, "The Finnish Presidents I"; "Forum IV: Turning Points of the Finnish History from the Autonomy to the Present" / Forum IV. Suomen historian käännekohtia autonomiasta nykypäivään (an upper-secondary school history textbook), Helsinki: Otava, 2005–2006).
In foreign policy Ståhlberg was markedly reserved towards Sweden
, largely as a consequence of the Åland crisis
, which marked the early years of his presidency. He was also cautious towards Germany
, and generally unsuccessful in his attempts to establish closer contacts with Poland
, the United Kingdom
and France
.
In 1930, activists from the right-wing Lapua Movement
kidnapped him and his wife, attempting to send them to the Soviet Union
, but the incident merely hastened the Lapua Movement's demise.
Ståhlberg was a National Progressive Party candidate in the 1931 Presidential election, eventually losing to Pehr Evind Svinhufvud
by only two votes in the third ballot. He was also a candidate in the 1937 election, eventually finishing third.
In 1946, Ståhlberg retired and became the legal adviser of President Juho Kusti Paasikivi
. Paasikivi often consulted Ståhlberg,
for example on the 1950 presidential election which Ståhlberg believed should be normal, if the Finnish people wanted to deserve an independent republic. Their last discussion occurred less than two weeks before Ståhlberg died (see, for example, "J.K. Paasikivi's
Diaries I-II" / J.K. Paasikiven päiväkirjat I-II, edited and published in Finland around 1985-86). He died in 1952, and was buried in Helsinki's Hietaniemi cemetery
with full honours.
Among the Finnish Presidents, Ståhlberg has retained a remarkable impeccable reputation. He is generally regarded as a moral and
principled defender of democracy and of the rule of law, and as the father of the Finnish Constitution. His decision to voluntarily
give up the presidency is also generally speaking admired as a sign that he was not a power-hungry career politician (see, for example, "The Republic's Presidents 1919-1931" / Tasavallan presidentit 1919-1931, published in Finland in 1993-94).
Jurist
A jurist or jurisconsult is a professional who studies, develops, applies, or otherwise deals with the law. The term is widely used in American English, but in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth countries it has only historical and specialist usage...
and academic, who played a central role in the drafting of the Constitution of Finland
Constitution of Finland
The Constitution of Finland is the supreme source of national law of Finland. It defines the basis, structures and organisation of government, the relationship between the different constitutional organs, and lays out the fundamental rights of Finnish citizens...
in 1919. He was the first President of Finland
President of Finland
The President of the Republic of Finland is the nation's head of state. Under the Finnish constitution, executive power is vested in the President and the government, with the President possessing extensive powers. The President is elected directly by the people of Finland for a term of six years....
(1919–1925) and a nationalist liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
.
Early life
Ståhlberg was born in SuomussalmiSuomussalmi
Suomussalmi is a municipality in Finland and is located in the Kainuu region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . The municipality is unilingually Finnish...
, in the Kainuu
Kainuu
Kainuu is a region of Finland. It borders the regions of Northern Ostrobothnia, North Karelia and Northern Savonia. In the east it also borders Russia. Kainuu is known in the ancient Norse sagas as Kvenland....
region of Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. 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, but later Finnicized his name to Kaarlo Juho, as did most Fennoman
Fennoman
The Fennomans were the most important political movement in the 19th century Grand Principality of Finland. They succeeded the fennophile interests of the 18th and early 19th century.-History:...
s (i.e. the supporters of Finnish language
Finnish language
Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
and culture instead of Swedish
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
).
Ståhlberg and his family lived in Lahti
Lahti
Lahti is a city and municipality in Finland.Lahti is the capital of the Päijänne Tavastia region. It is situated on a bay at the southern end of lake Vesijärvi about north-east of the capital Helsinki...
, where he also went for grammar school. Ståhlberg's father died when he was a boy, leaving his family in a difficult financial position. The family moved to Oulu
Oulu
Oulu is a city and municipality of inhabitants in the region of Northern Ostrobothnia, in Finland. It is the most populous city in Northern Finland and the sixth most populous city in the country. It is one of the northernmost larger cities in the world....
, where they entered school, whilst their mother worked to support the family. Ståhlberg's family had always spoken and supported the Finnish language
Finnish language
Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
, and the young Ståhlberg was enrolled in Oulu's private Finnish lycee
Oulun Lyseon Lukio
Oulun Lyseon Lukio is a Finnish school in the city of Oulu in northern Finland. There are about 50 teachers and about 500 students in the high school and 150 in the IB-study programme ....
, where he would excel, and was the primus of his class. In 1889 he graduated as a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in Law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
from the University of Helsinki
University of Helsinki
The University of Helsinki is a university located in Helsinki, Finland since 1829, but was founded in the city of Turku in 1640 as The Royal Academy of Turku, at that time part of the Swedish Empire. It is the oldest and largest university in Finland with the widest range of disciplines available...
. He gained his Doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
in Law in 1893.
Career as academic and civil servant
Ståhlberg soon began a very long career as the presenter and planner of the Senate'sSenate of Finland
The Senate of Finland combined the functions of cabinet and supreme court in the Grand Duchy of Finland from 1816 to 1917 and in the independent Republic of Finland from 1917 to 1918....
legislation, during the period when Finland was a Russian Grand Duchy
Grand duchy
A grand duchy, sometimes referred to as a grand dukedom, is a territory whose head of state is a monarch, either a grand duke or grand duchess.Today Luxembourg is the only remaining grand duchy...
. He was a "constitutionalist" - supporting the already existing Finnish constitutional framework and constitutional legislative policies, including legislative resistance, against the attempted Russification of Finland
Russification of Finland
The policy of Russification of Finland was a governmental policy of the Russian Empire aimed at limiting the special status of the Grand Duchy of Finland and possibly the termination of its political autonomy and cultural uniqueness...
. He also came to support the call for women's suffrage
Women's suffrage
Women's suffrage or woman suffrage is the right of women to vote and to run for office. The expression is also used for the economic and political reform movement aimed at extending these rights to women and without any restrictions or qualifications such as property ownership, payment of tax, or...
, and had a moderate line on Prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
.
Ståhlberg served as secretary of the Diet of Finland
Diet of Finland
The Diet of Finland , was the legislative assembly of the Grand Duchy of Finland from 1809 to 1906 and the recipient of the powers of the Swedish Riksdag of the Estates....
's finance committee in 1891, as a committee secretary for the Diet of Finland
Diet of Finland
The Diet of Finland , was the legislative assembly of the Grand Duchy of Finland from 1809 to 1906 and the recipient of the powers of the Swedish Riksdag of the Estates....
, before being appointed as an assistant professor of Administrative Law and Economics at the University of Helsinki
University of Helsinki
The University of Helsinki is a university located in Helsinki, Finland since 1829, but was founded in the city of Turku in 1640 as The Royal Academy of Turku, at that time part of the Swedish Empire. It is the oldest and largest university in Finland with the widest range of disciplines available...
in 1894. It was at this time that he began his active involvement in politics, becoming a member of the Young Finnish Party
Young Finnish Party
The Young Finnish Party or Constitutional-Fennoman Party was a liberal and nationalist political party in the Grand Duchy of Finland...
.
In 1893, Ståhlberg married his first wife, Hedvig Irene Wåhlberg (1869–1917). They had six children together: Kaarlo (1894–1977), Aino (1895–1974), Elli (1899–1986), Aune (1901–1967), Juho (1907–1973), and Kyllikki (1908–1994).
In 1898, Ståhlberg was appointed as Protocol Secretary for the Senate's civil affairs subdepartment. This was the second-highest Rapporteur
Rapporteur
Rapporteur is used in international and European legal and political contexts to refer to a person appointed by a deliberative body to investigate an issue or a situation....
position in the Finnish government. Ironically, this appointment to a senior position in the Finnish administration was approved by the new Governor General of Finland, Nikolai Bobrikov, whose term in office saw the beginning of the period of Russification, and whose policies represented all that the constitutionalist Ståhlberg was opposed to. Ståhlberg was elected in 1901 as a member of Helsinki City Council, serving until 1903. In 1902, he was dismissed as Protocol Secretary, due to his strict legalist views, and his opposition to legislation on compulsory military service.
Career as politician
Stählberg participated in the Diet of FinlandDiet of Finland
The Diet of Finland , was the legislative assembly of the Grand Duchy of Finland from 1809 to 1906 and the recipient of the powers of the Swedish Riksdag of the Estates....
(1904–1905) as a member of the Estate of Burgesses. In 1905, he was appointed as a Senator in the newly formed Senate of Leo Mechelin
Leo Mechelin
Leopold Henrik Stanislaus Mechelin was a Finnish professor, statesman, senator and liberal reformer...
, with responsibility for trade and industry. One of the most important tasks facing the new constitutionalist Senate was to consider proposals for the reform of the Diet of Finland
Diet of Finland
The Diet of Finland , was the legislative assembly of the Grand Duchy of Finland from 1809 to 1906 and the recipient of the powers of the Swedish Riksdag of the Estates....
and, although initially sceptical about some of the proposal, Ståhlberg played a role in the drafting of the legislation which created the Parliament of Finland
Parliament of Finland
The Eduskunta , is the parliament of Finland. The unicameral parliament has 200 members and meets in the Parliament House in Helsinki. The latest election to the parliament took place on April 17, 2011.- Constitution :...
. Ståhlberg resigned from the Senate in 1907, due the rejection by Parliament of a Senate bill on the prohibition of alcohol.
The following year he resumed his academic career, with his appointment as Professor of Administrative Law at the University of Helsinki, a position he retained until 1918. During his time in that post he wrote his most influential piece of work, "Finnish administrative law, volumes I & II." He also remained active in politics, being elected to the central committee of the Young Finnish Party. In 1908, Ståhlberg was elected as a member of Parliament for the Southern Häme constituency, which he represented until 1910. He also served as a member for the Southern Oulu constituency from 1914 until his appointment as President of the Supreme Administrative Court in 1918. Ståhlberg also served as Speaker
Speakers of the Parliament of Finland
The Speaker of the Parliament of Finland , along with two Deputy Speakers, is elected by Parliament during the first plenary session each year. Speakers are chosen for a year at a time...
of the Parliament in 1914.
After the February Revolution
February Revolution
The February Revolution of 1917 was the first of two revolutions in Russia in 1917. Centered around the then capital Petrograd in March . Its immediate result was the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II, the end of the Romanov dynasty, and the end of the Russian Empire...
in 1917, Ståhlberg was backed by the majority of the non-socialists members of Parliament as a candidate to become Vice-Chairman of the Economic Department of the Senate. However, he did not receive the support of the Social Democrats
Social Democratic Party of Finland
The Social Democratic Party of Finland is one of the three major political parties in Finland, along with the Centre Party and the National Coalition Party. Jutta Urpilainen is the current SDP leader. The party has been in the Finnish government cabinet for long periods and has set many...
, which he had made a precondition of his being elected. Instead, the Social Democrat Oskari Tokoi
Oskari Tokoi
Antti Oskari Tokoi was a Finnish socialist who served as a leader of the Social Democratic Party of Finland. During the short-lived Revolution of 1918, Tokoi participated as a leading figure in the revolutionary government....
was elected, with Ståhlberg being appointed as chairman of the Constitutional Council. This body had been set up earlier to draw up plans for a new form of government for Finland, in light of the events surrounding the February Revolution and the abdication of Nicholas II
Nicholas II of Russia
Nicholas II was the last Emperor of Russia, Grand Prince of Finland, and titular King of Poland. His official short title was Nicholas II, Emperor and Autocrat of All the Russias and he is known as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer by the Russian Orthodox Church.Nicholas II ruled from 1894 until...
as Emperor of Russia and Grand Duke of Finland.
The new form of government approved by the council was largely based on the 1772 Instrument of Government
Swedish Constitution of 1772
Sweden's Constitution of 1772 took effect through a bloodless coup d'état carried out by King Gustav III, who had become king in 1771, establishing a brief absolute monarchy in Sweden. This was a response to perceived harm wrought upon Sweden by a half-century of parliamentarism during the...
, dating from the period of Swedish rule. The proposed form of government was rejected by the Russian Provisional Government
Russian Provisional Government
The Russian Provisional Government was the short-lived administrative body which sought to govern Russia immediately following the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II . On September 14, the State Duma of the Russian Empire was officially dissolved by the newly created Directorate, and the country was...
, and was then left largely forgotten for a time due to the confusion and urgency of the situation surrounding the October Revolution
October Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
and the declaration of Finland's independence.
Architect of the Finnish constitution
After Finland gained its independence in December 1917, the Constitutional Committee drafted new proposals for a form of government of an independent Republic of Finland. As chairman of the council, Ståhlberg was involved in the drafting and re-drafting of constitutional proposals during 1918, when the impact of the Finnish Civil WarFinnish Civil War
The Finnish Civil War was a part of the national, political and social turmoil caused by World War I in Europe. The Civil War concerned control and leadership of The Grand Duchy of Finland as it achieved independence from Russia after the October Revolution in Petrograd...
, and debates between republicans and monarchists on the future constitution, all led to various proposals. His proposals would eventually be enacted as the Constitution of Finland in 1919. In 1918, Ståhlberg supported the idea of republic
Republic
A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...
instead of the then-popular constitutional monarchy
Constitutional monarchy
Constitutional monarchy is a form of government in which a monarch acts as head of state within the parameters of a constitution, whether it be a written, uncodified or blended constitution...
. Ståhlberg's appointment as the first President of the Supreme Administrative Court in 1918 meant that he relinquished his role as a member of Parliament, and was therefore not involved in the election by the Parliament of Prince Frederick Charles of Hesse
Prince Frederick Charles of Hesse
Frederick Charles Louis Constantine, Prince and Landgrave of Hesse , Friedrich Karl Ludwig Konstantin Prinz und Landgraf von Hessen-Kassel in German, was the brother-in-law of the German Emperor William II and the elected King of Finland from 9 October to 14 December 1918.-Early life:Frederick was...
as King of Finland in October of that year. As it became clear that Finland would be a republic, Stålberg also championed direct election of the President of Finland
President of Finland
The President of the Republic of Finland is the nation's head of state. Under the Finnish constitution, executive power is vested in the President and the government, with the President possessing extensive powers. The President is elected directly by the people of Finland for a term of six years....
, but the Council of State
Finnish Council of State
The Cabinet of Finland is the body that directs the Government of Finland. However, in governmental translations to English, the distinction is often blurred between cabinet and government in the wider sense...
chose the electoral college
Electoral college
An electoral college is a set of electors who are selected to elect a candidate to a particular office. Often these represent different organizations or entities, with each organization or entity represented by a particular number of electors or with votes weighted in a particular way...
system, although the first President would be elected by Parliament.
First President of Finland
Ståhlberg emerged as a candidate for President, with the support of the newly formed National Progressive Party, of which he was a member, and the Agrarian LeagueCentre Party (Finland)
The Centre Party is a centrist and Nordic agrarian political party in Finland. It is one of the four largest political parties in the country, along with the Social Democratic Party , the National Coalition Party and the True Finns , and currently has 35 seats in the Finnish Parliament...
. He was elected by Parliament as President of the Republic on July 25, 1919, defeating Carl Gustaf Mannerheim
Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim
Baron Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim was the military leader of the Whites in the Finnish Civil War, Commander-in-Chief of Finland's Defence Forces during World War II, Marshal of Finland, and a Finnish statesman. He was Regent of Finland and the sixth President of Finland...
(the candidate supported by the National Coalition and Swedish People's parties) by 143 votes to 50 (see, for example, Sakari Virkkunen, "Finland's Presidents I," Helsinki, 1994).
Ståhlberg was inaugurated as the first President of the Republic on the following day, and reluctantly moved out of his home in Helsinki to take up residence in the Presidential Palace
Presidential Palace, Helsinki
The Presidential Palace in Helsinki , is one of the official residences in Helsinki of the President of the Republic of Finland. It is situated on the north side of Esplanadi, overlooking Market Square.-Origins and early history:...
(see, for example, Virkkunen 1994).
As President, Ståhlberg was very formal and, due to his shyness
Shyness
In humans, shyness is a social psychology term used to describe the feeling of apprehension, lack of comfort, or awkwardness experienced when a person is in proximity to, approaching, or being approached by other people, especially in new situations or with unfamiliar people...
, wrote everything he had to say in public beforehand. He also had a distaste for official occasions, and it was not solely due to foreign-policy reasons that he declined to make a state visit to Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. He had been a widower since 1917, but in 1920, he married his second wife, Ester Hällström (1870–1950).
As the first President of the Republic, Ståhlberg had to form various presidential precedents and interpretations of how the office of President should be conducted. His term in office was also marked by a succession of short-lived governments. During his time as president, Ståhlberg nominated and appointed eight governments. These were mostly coalitions of the Agrarians and the National Progressive, National Coalition and Swedish People's parties, although Ståhlberg also appointed two caretaker governments. Importantly, Ståhlberg generally supported all the governments that he nominated, although he also sometimes disagreed with them.
He forced Kyösti Kallio's first government to resign in January 1924, when he demanded early elections to restore the full membership of Parliament - 200 deputies - and Kallio disagreed. The Parliament had lacked 27 deputies since August 1923, when the Communist deputies had been arrested on suspicions of treason (see Sakari Virkkunen, "The Finnish Presidents I: Ståhlberg - Relander - Svinhufvud" / Suomen presidentit I: Ståhlberg - Relander - Svinhufvud, Helsinki: Otava Publications Ltd., 1994).
Ståhlberg supported moderate social and economic reforms to make even the former Reds accept the bourgeois republic. He pardoned
most of the Red prisoners, despite the strong criticism that this aroused from many right-wing Finns, especially the White veterans
of the Civil War and several senior army officers. He signed into law bills that gave the trade unions an equal power with the employers' organizations to negotiate labour contracts, a bill to improve the public care for the poor, and the Lex Kallio bill which
distributed land from the wealthy landowners to the former tenant farmers and other landless rural people (see, for example,
Virkkunen, "The Finnish Presidents I"; "Forum IV: Turning Points of the Finnish History from the Autonomy to the Present" / Forum IV. Suomen historian käännekohtia autonomiasta nykypäivään (an upper-secondary school history textbook), Helsinki: Otava, 2005–2006).
In foreign policy Ståhlberg was markedly reserved towards Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, largely as a consequence of the Åland crisis
Åland crisis
The Åland crisis was one of the first issues put up for arbitration by the League of Nations on its formation. The Åland Islands' population's demand for self-determination was not met and sovereignty over the islands was retained by Finland, but international guarantees were given to allow the...
, which marked the early years of his presidency. He was also cautious towards Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, and generally unsuccessful in his attempts to establish closer contacts with Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Post-presidential life
Ståhlberg did not seek re-election in 1925, finding his difficult term of office a great strain. He also believed that the right-wing and the monarchists would become more reconciled to the republic if he stepped down. According to the longtime late Agrarian and Centrist politician Johannes Virolainen, he believed that the incumbent President was too much favoured over the other candidates while standing for re-election (see Virolainen, "The Last Electoral Term" / Viimeinen vaalikausi, published in Finland in 1991). He was offered the post of Chancellor of the University of Helsinki, but declined it, instead becoming a member of the government's Law Drafting Committee. He also served as a National Progressive member of Parliament again, as a member for the Uusimaa constituency from 1930 to 1933.In 1930, activists from the right-wing Lapua Movement
Lapua Movement
The Lapua Movement , was a Finnish radical nationalist and anti-communist political movement founded in and named after the town of Lapua. After radicalisation it turned towards far-right politics and was banned after a failed coup-d'état in 1932...
kidnapped him and his wife, attempting to send them to the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, but the incident merely hastened the Lapua Movement's demise.
Ståhlberg was a National Progressive Party candidate in the 1931 Presidential election, eventually losing to Pehr Evind Svinhufvud
Pehr Evind Svinhufvud
Pehr Evind Svinhufvud af Qvalstad , December 15, 1861 – February 29, 1944) was the third President of Finland from 1931 to 1937. Serving as a lawyer, judge, and politician in the Russian Grand Duchy of Finland, he played a major role in the movement for Finnish independence...
by only two votes in the third ballot. He was also a candidate in the 1937 election, eventually finishing third.
In 1946, Ståhlberg retired and became the legal adviser of President Juho Kusti Paasikivi
Juho Kusti Paasikivi
Juho Kusti Paasikivi was the seventh President of Finland . Representing the Finnish Party and the National Coalition Party, he also served as Prime Minister of Finland , and was generally an influential figure in Finnish economics and politics for over fifty years...
. Paasikivi often consulted Ståhlberg,
for example on the 1950 presidential election which Ståhlberg believed should be normal, if the Finnish people wanted to deserve an independent republic. Their last discussion occurred less than two weeks before Ståhlberg died (see, for example, "J.K. Paasikivi's
Diaries I-II" / J.K. Paasikiven päiväkirjat I-II, edited and published in Finland around 1985-86). He died in 1952, and was buried in Helsinki's Hietaniemi cemetery
Hietaniemi cemetery
The Hietaniemi cemetery is located in the Töölö district of Helsinki, the capital of Finland...
with full honours.
Among the Finnish Presidents, Ståhlberg has retained a remarkable impeccable reputation. He is generally regarded as a moral and
principled defender of democracy and of the rule of law, and as the father of the Finnish Constitution. His decision to voluntarily
give up the presidency is also generally speaking admired as a sign that he was not a power-hungry career politician (see, for example, "The Republic's Presidents 1919-1931" / Tasavallan presidentit 1919-1931, published in Finland in 1993-94).