Five terms as president placed Urho Kekkonen (1900–1986) amongst the foremost figures in Finnish political history. What puts him in the very first position is the way in which he wielded power: a skilled tactician, he demonstrated absolute mastery of the whole field of politics; from foreign policy to the handling of academic organisations, from the development of Lapland to legal policy and public appointments. He was one of the best-known Finns internationally and is given credit for his skilled handling of Finland’s relationships with the East in particular.
Kekkonen, Urho
Urho Kekkonen 1962. (Urpo Rouhiainen / Finnish Museum of Photography / Alma Media / Collection of Uusi Suomi)