Karl-August Fagerholm

Prime Minister of Finland (1948–1950, 1956–1957, 1958–1959)

Born: December 31, 1901 · Died: May 22, 1984

Karl-August Fagerholm — Image via Wikimedia Commons or Wikipedia.

Overview

Known for

Prime Minister of Finland (1948–1950, 1956–1957, 1958–1959)

Significance

Karl-August Fagerholm was a Finnish politician.

Who was Karl-August Fagerholm?

Karl-August Fagerholm (31 December 1901, in Siuntio – 22 May 1984, in Helsinki) was a Finnish politician. Fagerholm served as Speaker of Parliament and three times as Prime Minister of Finland (1948–50, 1956–57, and 1958–59). As a Scandinavia-oriented Swedish-speaking Finn, he was believed to be more to the taste of the Soviet Union's leadership than his predecessor, Väinö Tanner. Fagerholm's postwar career was, however, marked by fierce opposition from both the Soviet Union and the Communist Party of Finland. He narrowly lost the presidential election to Urho Kekkonen in 1956. Fagerholm served as Speaker of Parliament and three times as Prime Minister of Finland.

Speaker of Parliament Fagerholm at Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, in 1955

Historical significance

Fagerholm became one of the leading politicians of the Social Democrats after the armistice in the Continuation War.

Related on thisDay

How Did the 1949 Kemi Strike Turn Deadly?

The 1949 Kemi strike began on July 1, 1949, when workers of Kemi Oy in Northern Finland protested a government demand to cut lumber wages by more than…

Sources and further reading

Use the dated article for the day-specific account; use these references to check the event record and explore its wider historical context.

Date article: How Did the 1949 Kemi Strike Turn Deadly?Wikipedia source

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MLA

“Karl-August Fagerholm.” thisDay, thisday.info/people/karl-august-fagerholm/. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026.

APA

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Chicago

“Karl-August Fagerholm.” thisDay. Accessed October 2, 2026. https://thisday.info/people/karl-august-fagerholm/.

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