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Eemil Nestor Setälä
Eemil Setälä.JPG
Setälä, c. 1930
Chairman of the Senate of Finland
In office
8 September 1917 – 27 November 1917
Preceded by Oskari Tokoi
Succeeded by Pehr Evind Svinhufvud
Personal details
Born 27 February 1864
Kokemäki, Finland
Died 8 February 1935(1935-02-08) (aged 70)
Helsinki, Finland
Political party National Coalition Party
Relatives Kai Setälä

Eemil Nestor Setälä (born February 27, 1864 – died February 8, 1935) was an important Finnish politician. He was briefly the Chairman of the Senate of Finland from September to November 1917. During this time, he helped write the Finnish Declaration of Independence, which made Finland its own country.

Setälä was also a well-known linguist, which means he studied languages. He was a professor of the Finnish language and literature at Helsinki University for many years. He greatly influenced how the Finnish language was studied. He also started a research institute called Suomen suku ("Finnish kin") and created a special alphabet for studying Uralic languages, called the Uralic Phonetic Alphabet.

The Life of Eemil Setälä

Eemil Setälä was born in 1864. He lived a life full of learning and public service.

Early Life and Family

Back row from left Ilmari, Kaarle, Helmi with spouse E.N. Setälä; in front Aune, Helena née Cleve, Aino 1890s maybe
Back row from left Ilmari, Kaarle, Helmi with E.N. Setälä; in front Aune, Helena Cleve and Aino.

In 1892, Eemil Setälä married a writer and editor named Helmi Krohn. She took his last name, Setälä. They later divorced in 1913, which was quite unusual in Finland at that time. Their daughter, Salme Setälä, grew up to become a famous architect and writer.

A Leader in Language Studies

Eemil Setälä spent much of his career studying and teaching about the Finnish language. From 1893 to 1929, he was a professor at the University of Helsinki. His work helped many people understand the Finnish language better. He also founded a research institute to study the connections between different Finnish languages.

His Political Journey

Setälä was very active in politics. He was elected to the Finnish parliament many times. He represented two different political groups: the Young Finnish Party and later the National Coalition Party.

Important Government Roles

Towards the end of World War I, Setälä served as the acting head of state for a short period. This was when he was the Chairman of the Senate. After this, he held other important jobs in the government. He was the minister of education in 1925, helping to guide Finland's schools. He also served as the Foreign Minister from 1925 to 1926, dealing with Finland's relationships with other countries.

Representing Finland Abroad

From 1927 to 1930, Setälä worked as an envoy for Finland. This meant he represented Finland in other countries, like Denmark and Hungary. His job was to build good relationships and discuss important matters between Finland and these nations.

Later Years and Legacy

After his time as an envoy, Setälä continued to contribute to education. From 1926 to 1935, he was the Chancellor of the University of Turku. This was a very important leadership role at the university.

Eemil Setälä passed away in 1935 and is buried in the Hietaniemi Cemetery in Helsinki. He is remembered for his significant contributions to both the Finnish language and the early government of independent Finland.

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