Karl-August Fagerholm
Prime Minister of Finland (1948–1950, 1956–1957, 1958–1959)
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.
Historical significance
Fagerholm became one of the leading politicians of the Social Democrats after the armistice in the Continuation War.