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Quick facts for kids Mauno Koivisto
Koivisto in 1967

9th President of Finland
In office 27 January 1982 – 1 March 1994
Prime Minister	Kalevi Sorsa Harri Holkeri Esko Aho
Preceded by	Urho Kekkonen
Succeeded by	Martti Ahtisaari
Prime Minister of Finland
In office 26 May 1979 – 26 January 1982
President	Urho Kekkonen
Deputy	Eino Uusitalo
Preceded by	Kalevi Sorsa
Succeeded by	Kalevi Sorsa
In office 22 March 1968 – 14 May 1970
President	Urho Kekkonen
Deputy	Johannes Virolainen
Preceded by	Rafael Paasio
Succeeded by	Teuvo Aura
Deputy Prime Minister of Finland
In office 23 February 1972 – 4 September 1972
Prime Minister	Rafael Paasio
Preceded by	Päiviö Hetemäki
Succeeded by	Ahti Karjalainen
Minister of Finance
In office 23 February 1972 – 4 September 1972
Prime Minister	Rafael Paasio
Preceded by	Päiviö Hetemäki
Succeeded by	Johannes Virolainen
In office 27 May 1966 – 31 December 1967
Prime Minister	Rafael Paasio
Preceded by	Esa Kaitila
Succeeded by	Eino Raunio

Personal details
Born	Mauno Henrik Koivisto (1923-11-25)25 November 1923 Turku, Finland
Died	12 May 2017(2017-05-12) (aged 93) Helsinki, Finland
Resting place	Hietaniemi Cemetery
Political party	Social Democratic
Spouse	Tellervo Kankaanranta (m. 1952)
Children	1
Signature
Military service
Branch/service	Finnish Army
Years of service	1939–1944
Rank	Corporal
Battles/wars	Winter War, Continuation War

Mauno Henrik Koivisto (born November 25, 1923 – died May 12, 2017) was an important Finnish politician. He served as the ninth President of Finland from 1982 to 1994. Before becoming president, he was the country's prime minister two times. His first term was from 1968 to 1970, and his second was from 1979 to 1982. He was also the first person from the Social Democratic Party to be elected as President of Finland.

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Mauno Koivisto's Early Life & War Service

Young Mauno Koivisto served as a soldier during the Continuation War.

Mauno Koivisto was born in Turku, Finland. He was the second son in his family. His father, Juho Koivisto, worked as a carpenter at a shipyard. Mauno's mother, Hymni Sofia Eskola, passed away when he was only 10 years old.

After finishing primary school, Mauno took on various jobs. When the Winter War began in 1939, he was just 16. He joined a special firefighting unit to help his country.

During the Continuation War, Koivisto served in a special group called Infantry Detachment Törni. This group was led by Lauri Törni and worked behind enemy lines. Only chosen volunteers could join this dangerous unit. For his bravery during the war, he received the Order of the Cross of Liberty. He was also promoted to the rank of corporal.

Later in life, he thought about his time in the war. He said that once you've been in a situation where your life is at risk, everything else seems small.

After the War: Work and Education

After the war, Koivisto worked as a carpenter. He also became very active in politics and joined the Social Democratic Party. In his younger years, he was interested in different political ideas.

In 1948, he found work at the port of Turku. By December 1948, he became the manager of the Harbour Labour Office in Turku. He held this job until 1951.

In 1949, some trade unions tried to cause problems for the government. Koivisto went to the port of Hanko to help keep things running. He worked to recruit new workers and break the strike. Because of his actions, some newspapers saw him as a major opponent.

Mauno Koivisto's Education and Career

Mauno Koivisto as a teacher with students in a 1950s classroom.

Even with his political work, Koivisto kept studying. He passed his intermediate exam in 1947 and his university entrance exam in 1949. In 1951, he became a primary school teacher.

On June 22, 1952, he married Tellervo Kankaanranta. They had one daughter named Assi Koivisto. Assi later helped her father in his presidential campaign.

Koivisto earned a Master of Arts degree from the University of Turku in 1953. He also planned to become a sociologist. Three years later, he finished his doctoral paper. It looked at social relationships in the Turku dockyards. Koivisto also worked as a career counselor for the City of Turku. He was also a member of the Turku City Council.

Mauno Koivisto and his daughter Assi in 1957.

In 1957, he started working at the Helsinki Workers' Savings Bank. He became its general manager from 1959 to 1968. In 1968, he was chosen to lead the Bank of Finland. He stayed in this important role until 1982. During the 1960s, he worked to improve his party's relationships with other political groups and with President Urho Kekkonen.

Mauno Koivisto's Political Journey

Minister of Finance Koivisto reads the 1967 budget plan.

In 1966, the Social Democratic Party won the parliamentary election. Rafael Paasio became Prime Minister, and Koivisto became the Minister of Finance. By 1968, many in his party wanted a new leader. Koivisto became the main choice to replace Paasio as Prime Minister.

Koivisto became Prime Minister for the first time on March 22, 1968. He led the government for two years. After the 1970 election, other parties in his government lost many votes. This led to Koivisto's resignation.

In the 1970s, President Kekkonen began to see Koivisto as a possible future rival. For most of this time, Koivisto focused on his work at the Bank of Finland. In 1979, he returned as Prime Minister. He formed a government with several other parties.

At this point, many people were becoming unhappy with the aging President Kekkonen. His health was failing, and people wanted change. As Prime Minister and head of the Bank of Finland, Koivisto was very popular. He began to be seen as a strong candidate for president.

In 1981, President Kekkonen tried to remove Koivisto from his position as Prime Minister. Some politicians tried to get Parliament to vote against Koivisto's government. This would have stopped Koivisto from running for president while being Prime Minister.

However, Koivisto managed to get enough support to stay in power. He reminded Kekkonen that the Prime Minister answers to Parliament, not the president. This was a very bold move at the time. By October 1981, it was clear Kekkonen was too ill to continue. He resigned, and Koivisto became acting president. This allowed Koivisto to start his presidential campaign from a strong position.

During his campaign, people asked Koivisto about his political beliefs and his relationship with the Soviet Union. He said that his socialism was about the journey, not just the final goal. When asked about the Soviet Union, he said their relationship was "nothing to boast about." This answer made him even more popular. Koivisto did not want to win the election with the Soviet Union's help.

A postage stamp featuring Koivisto from 1983.

Almost 90% of voters participated in the 1982 presidential election. Koivisto's wife and daughter were part of the special group that voted for president. Koivisto won with 167 out of 301 votes in the first round. His closest opponent received 58 votes.

Koivisto became Finland's first president from the Social Democratic Party. His victory showed that the Social Democrats were now fully accepted in Finland's political life.

Mauno Koivisto's Presidency (1982–1994)

President Mauno Koivisto and Tellervo Koivisto visiting Dresden, East Germany, 1987.

As president, Koivisto preferred a quieter approach. He used less strict leadership than the previous president. He also chose not to use some of his presidential powers. This started a new time of more parliamentary power in Finland.

He sometimes had a difficult relationship with journalists, whom he famously called "lemmings." Reporters found his statements deep and philosophical, which made them hard to understand. This was different from the clear and sometimes harsh statements of the previous president.

At first, he continued Finland's foreign policies in the same way as Kekkonen. This continued until the Soviet Union collapsed. He also continued the practice of sending Soviet defectors back to the Soviet Union. This is now against the Finnish constitution as a human rights violation.

Koivisto built strong relationships with leaders like Mikhail Gorbachev, George H. W. Bush, and Ronald Reagan. He also had very close and trusting ties with leaders from other Nordic countries. He could speak Russian, Swedish, English, and German very well.

When the Soviet Union was falling apart, and countries like Estonia were declaring independence, Koivisto kept Finland neutral. He avoided publicly supporting the Baltic independence movement. However, members of these movements were allowed to work from Finland. Finland recognized the new Estonian government only after major world powers did. Koivisto did secretly send money to Estonia to help their independence movement.

Koivisto made two important diplomatic decisions that changed Finland's position. In 1990, after Germany became one country again, Koivisto announced that Finland would no longer follow parts of the Paris Peace Treaties. These treaties had limited the size and weapons of the Finnish Defence Forces. He argued that if Germany had its full rights, Finland should not be held back by an old treaty. Neither the Soviet Union nor Great Britain officially protested this.

His other big move was ending the Finno-Soviet Treaty in 1991, as the Soviet Union fell. This treaty had guided Finland's foreign policy for decades. A new treaty without military rules replaced it the next year.

Koivisto and Ronald Reagan in Helsinki in 1988.

President Martti Ahtisaari inspects the honor guard with the outgoing President Mauno Koivisto in 1994.

In 1990, Koivisto suggested that any Soviet citizen with Finnish or Ingrian family history could move to Finland. This idea was partly to help Finns living abroad and partly because of worries about a shrinking workforce. This led to changes in immigration laws that year.

After the Soviet Union collapsed, Koivisto was against returning the Karelian old Finnish parts back to Finland.

In the 1988 presidential election, Koivisto was re-elected. He received 189 out of 301 votes in the second round. After the Soviet Union broke up, he supported new ideas like joining the European Union. In 1992, Koivisto started the process for Finland to join the European community. The final details of the membership agreement were completed on the day Koivisto left office. His successor, President Martti Ahtisaari, also supported joining the EU.

Koivisto's popularity dropped sharply during Finland's economic problems in the early 1990s. Many unemployed or struggling citizens felt he could have done more to help the economy. They believed he could have pushed the government to create temporary jobs.

Koivisto's term as president ended in 1994. After that, he wrote his memories in four books. He also continued to share his thoughts on economics and politics.

Mauno Koivisto's Later Years

The funeral procession of Mauno Koivisto on May 25, 2017, in Helsinki.

After his presidency, Koivisto sometimes represented Finland at official events abroad. He attended the funerals of important figures like Queen Ingrid of Denmark in 2000 and Ronald Reagan in 2004.

In 2009, Koivisto chose not to apologize to Estonia. This was regarding his administration's decision not to openly support Estonia's independence movement.

On March 3, 2010, he was hospitalized for a heart problem. However, he was released less than a week later.

Hobby

Volleyball was a favorite hobby of Koivisto for a long time. He started playing in his twenties and continued until he retired.

Death

Koivisto's health got worse in December 2016 due to Alzheimer's disease. His wife, Tellervo, became his main caregiver. In January 2017, Koivisto fell at home and broke his hand. After this, he moved to a nursing home. In May 2017, Koivisto received special care for the end of his life. He passed away on May 12, 2017, at the age of 93.

His state funeral was held on May 25, 2017. Mauno Koivisto is buried in the Hietaniemi Cemetery in Helsinki.

Honours and Awards

Coat of Arms of Mauno Koivisto

Armiger	Mauno Koivisto
Adopted	1983
Motto	"Valtakunnan parhaaksi" ("For the best of the Realm")

Awards and Decorations

Mauno Koivisto received many awards and decorations from Finland and other countries.

National Orders (Finland)

Grand Cross of the Order of the White Rose
Grand Cross of the Order of the Lion of Finland
Grand Cross of the Order of the Cross of Liberty
Grand Cross of the Order of the Holy Lamb (from the Orthodox Church of Finland)

Foreign Orders (Other Countries)

Sweden: Knight of the Order of the Seraphim (1982)
Norway: Grand Cross of the Order of St. Olav (1983)
Denmark: Knight of the Order of the Elephant (1983)
Iceland: Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of the Falcon (1982)
Estonia: 1st Class Cross of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana (2001)
Germany: Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
Japan: Order of the Chrysanthemum
Portugal: Collar of the Order of Prince Henry (1992)
Italy: Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (1993)
France: Legion of Honour
France: National Order of Merit
Soviet Union: Order of Lenin
Luxembourg: Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau
Poland: Order of the Merit of the People's Republic of Poland
Poland: Order of the White Eagle
Austria: Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria
Bulgaria: Order of Stara Planina
Nepal: Order of Ojaswi Rajanya
Jordan: Order of al-Hussein bin Ali
Hungary: Order of Flag of the People's Republic of Hungary
Hungary: Order of Merit of Hungary
Netherlands: Order of the Netherlands Lion
Yugoslavia: Order of the Yugoslav Star
Czechoslovakia: Order of the White Lion (1987)
San Marino: Order of San Marino
East Germany: Star of People's Friendship
Colombia: Order of San Carlos