Philip Henry Askeli (March 24, 1886 – March 13, 1962) was a

Finnish American Finnish Americans (, ) comprise Americans with ancestral roots in Finland, or Finnish people who immigrated to and reside in the United States. The Finnish-American population is around 650,000. Many Finnish people historically immigrated to ...

draftsman A drafter (also draughtsman / draughtswoman in British and Commonwealth English, draftsman / draftswoman, drafting technician, or CAD technician in American and Canadian English) is an engineering technician who makes detailed technical drawi ...

labor activist A union organizer (or union organiser in Commonwealth spelling) is a specific type of trade union member (often elected) or an appointed union official. In some unions, the organizer's role is to recruit groups of workers under the organizing ...

and

therapist A therapist is a person who offers any kinds of therapy. Therapists are trained professionals in the field of any types of services like psychologists, social workers, counselors, etc. They are helpful in counseling individuals for various mental ...

Biography

Askeli was born on the island of

Hailuoto Hailuoto (; ) is a Finnish island in the northern Baltic Sea and a municipality in Northern Ostrobothnia region. The population of Hailuoto is (), making it the smallest municipality in Northern Ostrobothnia and the former Oulu Province in terms ...

North Ostrobothnia North Ostrobothnia (; ) is a Regions of Finland, region of Finland. It borders the Finnish regions of Lapland (Finland), Lapland, Kainuu, Northern Savonia, North Savo, Central Finland and Central Ostrobothnia, as well as the Russian Republic of ...

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

; his parents were John (Juho) Askeli Jr. (1861–1934) and Kaisa Stiina (née Kallsten; 1848–1923) from Hailuoto. He attended

elementary school A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...

and moved to the United States in 1900. He studied at the Lockwood School of Art in

Kalamazoo, Michigan Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 73,598. It is the principal city of the Kalamazoo–Portage metropolitan are ...

from 1908 to 1909, the

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

College of Art and Design from 1915 to 1916, and the

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Academy of Art in 1918. From 1916 to 1917 he worked for the ''

Duluth News Tribune The ''Duluth News Tribune'' (known locally as ''The Tribune'' or ''DNT'') is a newspaper based in Duluth, Minnesota. While circulation is heaviest in the Twin Ports metropolitan area, delivery extends into northeastern Minnesota, northwestern Wis ...

''. Askeli joined the labor movement at a young age. He worked as a journalist for '' Toveri'' from 1912 to 1915, as secretary general of the Finnish Socialist Federation of America from 1917 to 1922, and as a journalist for ''

Työmies ''Työmies'' (The Worker) was a politically radical Finnish-language newspaper published primarily out of Hancock, Michigan, and Superior, Wisconsin. Launched as a weekly in July 1903, the paper later went to daily frequency and was issued und ...

'' from 1924 to 1927 (and was the paper's editor until 1925). From 1922 to 1923, Askeli worked in

Petrozavodsk Petrozavodsk (, ; Karelian language, Karelian, Veps language, Vepsian and ) is the capital city of the Republic of Karelia, Russia, which stretches along the western shore of Lake Onega for some . The population of the city is 280,890 as of 2022. ...

Karelia Karelia (; Karelian language, Karelian and ; , historically Коре́ла, ''Korela'' []; ) is an area in Northern Europe of historical significance for Russia (including the Soviet Union, Soviet era), Finland, and Sweden. It is currentl ...

and from 1927 to 1929 he headed the education department of the Co-operative Trading Association in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

. In the 1920s, Askeli belonged to the

Communist Party of the United States The Communist Party USA (CPUSA), officially the Communist Party of the United States of America, also referred to as the American Communist Party mainly during the 20th century, is a communist party in the United States. It was established ...

, from which he was expelled along with its opposition in 1928. He was later a member of the

social democratic Social democracy is a Social philosophy, social, Economic ideology, economic, and political philosophy within socialism that supports Democracy, political and economic democracy and a gradualist, reformist, and democratic approach toward achi ...

Finnish American League for Democracy. After his political career, Askeli worked as a

physiotherapist Physical therapy (PT), also known as physiotherapy, is a healthcare profession, as well as the care provided by physical therapists who promote, maintain, or restore health through patient education, physical intervention, disease preventio ...

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

, and Hyannis, and he owned a clinic in

West Yarmouth, Massachusetts West Yarmouth is a census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Yarmouth in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,012 at the 2010 census. Geography West Yarmouth is located in the southwest quarter of the town ...

. He received his doctorate in

natural medicine Naturopathy, or naturopathic medicine, is a form of alternative medicine. A wide array of practices branded as "natural", "non-invasive", or promoting "self-healing" are employed by its practitioners, who are known as naturopaths. Difficult ...

from

Taylor University Taylor University is a Private university, private, Interdenominationalism, interdenominational, evangelical Christian university in Upland, Indiana. Founded in 1846, it is one of the oldest evangelical Christian universities in the United Stat ...

Chattanooga Chattanooga ( ) is a city in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located along the Tennessee River and borders Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the south. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, it is Tennessee ...

in 1939. He also wrote works related to the field. Askeli died in

Hyannis, Massachusetts Hyannis is the largest of the seven villages in the town of Barnstable, Massachusetts, United States. It is the commercial and transportation hub of Cape Cod and was designated an urban area at the 1990 census. Because of this, many refer to Hya ...

, on March 13, 1962, at the age of 76.''Albuquerque Journal'' (November 16, 1962), p. 107.

Works

* ''Kaskuja 1'' ("Anecdotes 1"). Astoria: s.n., 1915. (in Finnish) * ''Syökäämme oikein: johdatus ravintotieteeseen'' ("Let's Eat Right: An Introduction to Nutrition Science"). Fitchburg: Raivaaja kustannusyhtiö, 1933. (in Finnish) * ''Yksi päivä kuluttajan elämässä: kolmiosainen osuustoiminnallinen kuvaelma'' ("A Day in the Life of a Consumer: A Three-part Cooperative Tableau"). Fitchburg: Raivaaja Pub. Co, 1936. (in Finnish) * ''How to Know Yourself: Ninety Days to Good Health.'' Philadelphia: Dorrance, 1960.

References

External links

James P. Cannon: ''Cannon Replies to Henry Askeli'' (8 August 1925)
at ''Marxists.org''
Henry Askeli (1886 - 1962)
at ''Ancient Faces'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Askeli, Henry 1886 births 1962 deaths American communists American male journalists Emigrants from the Grand Duchy of Finland to the United States Naturopathy People from Hailuoto 20th-century American journalists