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Matti Lonkainen

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Matti Lonkainen
Member of the Parliament of Finland
In office
1 June 1909 – 16 May 1918
ConstituencyKuopio Province East
Personal details
Born(1874-04-14)14 April 1874
Tohmajärvi, Russian Empire
Died14 November 1918(1918-11-14) (aged 44)
Helsinki, Finland
Political partySocial Democratic Party of Finland
OccupationSmallholder

Matti Pekanpoika Lonkainen (14 April 1874 – 14 November 1918) was a Finnish smallholder, politician and member of the Parliament of Finland, the national legislature of Finland. A member of the Social Democratic Party, he represented Kuopio Province East between June 1909 and May 1918.[1] He died in captivity following the Finnish Civil War.

Early life

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Lonkainen was born on 14 April 1874 in Tohmajärvi in the south-east of the Grand Duchy of Finland.[1][2] Following the death of his father in 1880 Lonkainen was forced to beg.[1][3] He worked on the railways, as a stonemason and as farm worker in Tohmajärvi.[1][3] He was a smallholder in Värtsilä.[1]

Lonkainen was married to Helena. Their daughter Kerttu died in August 1907 aged eight months.[4]

Politics, civil war and death

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Lonkainen joined the Social Democratic Party (SDP) around 1904.[3] He was elected to the Parliament of Finland at the 1909 parliamentary election.[5][6] He was re-elected at the 1910, 1911, 1913, 1916 and 1917 parliamentary elections.[7][8][9][10][11]

Following the Finnish Revolution, Lonkainen was elected to the Central Workers' Council of Finland, the legislature of the Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic (the Reds), without his knowledge or consent.[12][13] He did not attend any session of the Central Workers' Council.[12][13]

In April 1918, as the bitter Finnish Civil War drew to a conclusion, leading SDP members who had not participated in the revolution, including Lonkainen, published a declaration condemning the revolutionaries.[14][15] This did not protect Lonkainen from the retribution meted out against SDP members by the victorious Whites following the end of the civil war.

In early May 1918 the Whites published a list of leaders of the "Red Rebellion" (the failed Finnish Revolution) which included 37 SDP MPs:[16][17] Lonkainen was included on the list due to his membership of the Central Workers' Council.[16][17] On 14 May 1918 White prosecutor Immi Savonius announded that 56 SDP MPs, including Lonkainen, would be charged with treason and ordered their arrest.[18][19] Lonkainen and five other SDP MPs submitted a notice to the White parliamentary authorities stating that they had not taken part in the rebellion.[20][21]

Lonkainen was arrested on 16 May 1918 by White military intelligence in front of the parliament building while on the way to a parliamentary session.[13][22] He was taken initially to intelligence headquarters on Vuorimiehenkatu 1 before being imprisoned in Helsinki County Prison.[13][22] Lonkainen denied the charge of rebellion during interrogation by the city prosecutor Adolf Mesterton.[12][22] The prosecutor gave written testimony that Lonkainen's statements were credible.[12][22]

The White authorities continued with Lonkainen prosecution for treason despite Mesterton's testimony. They claimed that he was involved the production and approval of the Me vaadimme (We Demand) declaration published by the SDP on 1 November 1917.[23] The also claimed that he was aware that there was a threat of rebellion, that he agitated for rebellion and that he belonged to the Central Workers' Council, the highest council of the revolutionaries.[23] Lonkainen denied ever attending a session of the Central Workers' Council and claimed that he had never agitated for rebellion and that he had opposed Me vaadimme internally.[23] On 12 October 1918 the 28th Department of the State Criminal Court (Valtiorikosoikeus) handed down sentences to 40 SDP MPs for treason and high treason.[24][25] Lonkainen was found guilty of preparation for high treason and sentenced to two years imprisonment and lost his civic rights for six years.[26][27][28]

Lonkainen had been ill for some time and was transferred from Sörnäinen Prison to Helsinki Surgical Hospital where he died on 14 November 1918.[2][29] According to the White medical authorities his death had been caused by appendicitis.[30][31]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Kansanedustajat: Matti Lonkainen" (in Finnish). Helsinki, Finland: Parliament of Finland. Archived from the original on 28 March 2023. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Person: Lonkainen, Matti". War Victims of Finland 1914–1922. Helsinki, Finland: National Archives of Finland. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
  3. ^ a b c Punaset III : v. 1909 valittujen uusien sosialidemokratisten edustajien kuvat ja elämäkerrat (in Finnish). Helsinki, Finland: Työväen Sanomalehti O.Y. 1909. p. 13. Retrieved 16 December 2023 – via Helsinki University Library.
  4. ^ "Kuollut". Rajavahti (in Finnish). No. 95. Sortavala, Finland. 26 August 1907. p. 3. Retrieved 16 December 2023 – via National Library of Finland.
  5. ^ "Valresultaten". Nya Pressen (in Swedish). No. 107. Helsinki, Finland. 12 May 1909. p. 3. Retrieved 16 December 2023 – via National Library of Finland.
  6. ^ "Kuulutus". Savon Työmies (in Finnish). No. 55. Kuopio, Finland. 22 May 1909. p. 1. Retrieved 17 December 2023 – via National Library of Finland.
  7. ^ "Waalien tulokset". Rajavahti (in Finnish). No. 18. Sortavala, Finland. 16 February 1910. p. 3. Retrieved 17 December 2023 – via National Library of Finland.
  8. ^ "Kuulutus". Karjalan Sanomat (in Finnish). No. 9. Joensuu, Finland. 24 January 1911. p. 2. Retrieved 17 December 2023 – via National Library of Finland.
  9. ^ "Walittuja edustajia". Kansan Lehti (in Finnish). No. 181. Tampere, Finland. 11 August 1913. p. 2. Retrieved 17 December 2023 – via National Library of Finland.
  10. ^ "Joensuusta ja likitienoilta: Walitut edustajat". Karjalan Sanomat (in Finnish). No. 76. Joensuu, Finland. 13 July 1916. p. 2. Retrieved 17 December 2023 – via National Library of Finland.
  11. ^ "Julistus". Savon Sanomat (in Finnish). No. 105. Kuopio, Finland. 15 October 1917. p. 1. Retrieved 17 December 2023 – via National Library of Finland.
  12. ^ a b c d "Sosialistiset kansanedustajat". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). No. 98. Helsinki, Finland. 30 June 1918. p. 6. Retrieved 17 December 2023 – via National Library of Finland.
  13. ^ a b c d "Sosialidemokraatti sen puolueen Juustajat". Työn Valta (in Finnish). No. 64. Helsinki, Finland. 6 July 1918. p. 2. Retrieved 17 December 2023 – via National Library of Finland.
  14. ^ "Julistus Suomen työwäelle!". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). No. 33. Helsinki, Finland. 21 April 1918. p. 8. Retrieved 17 December 2023 – via National Library of Finland.
  15. ^ "Liian myöhään: 25 vanaveteläistä". Työn Valta (in Finnish). No. 21. Helsinki, Finland. 23 April 1918. p. 1. Retrieved 17 December 2023 – via National Library of Finland.
  16. ^ a b "Uppreret och den socialdemokratiska landtdagsgruppen". Hufvudstadsbladet (in Finnish). No. 40. Helsinki, Finland. 5 May 1918. p. 7. Retrieved 23 August 2023 – via National Library of Finland.
  17. ^ a b "Kapinallisia kansan edustajia". Turun Sanomat (in Finnish). No. 4014. Turku, Finland. 7 May 1918. p. 4. Retrieved 23 August 2023 – via National Library of Finland.
  18. ^ Toiset Valtiopäivät 1917: Pöytäkirjat II - Istunnot 49-101 -Toukokuun 15 päivästä 1918 Valtiopäivien loppuun (PDF) (in Finnish). Helsinki, Finland: Parliament of Finland. 1918. pp. 139–140. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  19. ^ "Kapinaan osalliset eduskunnan jäsenet". Turun Sanomat (in Finnish). No. 57. Turku, Finland. 17 May 1918. p. 2. Retrieved 23 August 2023 – via National Library of Finland.
  20. ^ "Sosialistiset kansan edustajat". Satakunnan Kansa (in Finnish). No. 51. Pori, Finland. 15 May 1918. p. 2. Retrieved 17 December 2023 – via National Library of Finland.
  21. ^ "Revolten och de soc. dem. lantdagsmännen". Åbo Underrättelser (in Swedish). No. 58. Turku, Finland. 15 May 1918. p. 5. Retrieved 17 December 2023 – via National Library of Finland.
  22. ^ a b c d "Sosialististen kansanedustajain Sangasemkiset". Turun Sanomat (in Finnish). No. 4066. Turku, Finland. 1 July 1918. p. 1. Retrieved 17 December 2023 – via National Library of Finland.
  23. ^ a b c "Förräder:målen mot de socialdemokrafiska lantdagsmännen". Dagens Press (in Swedish). No. 158. Helsinki, Finland. 4 October 1918. p. 5. Retrieved 17 December 2023 – via National Library of Finland.
  24. ^ "Kapinallisten kansanedustajain tuomiot". Turun Sanomat (in Finnish). No. 4170. Turku, Finland. 13 October 1918. p. 1. Retrieved 28 August 2023 – via National Library of Finland.
  25. ^ "Kapinallisten kansanedustajain tuomiot". Pohjolan Sanomat (in Finnish). No. 121. Kemi, Finland. 15 October 1918. p. 3. Retrieved 28 August 2023 – via National Library of Finland.
  26. ^ "Tuomiot julistettu sos.-dem. kansanedustajain jutuissa". Suomen Sosialidemokraatti (in Finnish). No. 24. Helsinki, Finland. 12 October 1918. p. 3. Retrieved 25 August 2023 – via National Library of Finland.
  27. ^ "Sos.-dem. kansanedustajain tuomiot". Suomen Sosialidemokraatti (in Finnish). No. 25. Helsinki, Finland. 14 October 1918. p. 3. Retrieved 25 August 2023 – via National Library of Finland.
  28. ^ "De socialistiska lantdagsmännen dömda". Dagens Press (in Swedish). No. 166. Helsinki, Finland. 14 October 1918. p. 4. Retrieved 25 August 2023 – via National Library of Finland.
  29. ^ "Kuollut sosialistinen kansanedustaja". Itä-Suomen Työmies (in Finnish). No. 185. Viipuri, Finland. 16 November 1918. p. 5. Retrieved 17 December 2023 – via National Library of Finland.
  30. ^ "Edustaja Lonkainen kuollut". Laatokka (in Finnish). No. 132. Joensuu, Finland. 19 November 1918. p. 5. Retrieved 17 December 2023 – via National Library of Finland.
  31. ^ "Kuollut kansanedustaja". Ilkka (in Finnish). No. 206. Seinäjoki, Finland. 19 November 1918. p. 5. Retrieved 17 December 2023 – via National Library of Finland.
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