Katariina "Kaisa" Kallio ( Nivala; 28 May 1878 – 25 November 1954) was a Finnish homemaker who was the spouse of the president of Finland from 1937 to 1940. She was married to

Kyösti Kallio Kyösti Kallio (, 10 April 1873 – 19 December 1940) was a Finnish politician who served as the fourth president of Finland from 1937 to 1940. His presidency included leading the country through the Winter War; while he relinquished the post ...

, the fourth

president of Finland The president of the Republic of Finland (; ) is the head of state of Finland. The incumbent president is Alexander Stubb, since 1 March 2024. He was elected president for the first time in 2024 Finnish presidential election, 2024. The presi ...

Biography

Katariina Nivala was born on 28 May 1878 in

Nivala Nivala (formerly known as ''Pidisjärvi'') is a town and municipality of Finland. It is located in the Northern Ostrobothnia region. The town has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . The muni ...

, Finland. She was the daughter of a farmer. Nivala attended a

folk high school Folk high schools (also ''adult education center'') are institutions for adult education that generally do not grant academic degrees, though certain courses might exist leading to that goal. They are most commonly found in Nordic countries and i ...

Haapavesi Haapavesi is a town and a municipality of Finland. It is located in the North Ostrobothnia region. The name means "Aspen Water". The town has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . Neighbour mu ...

, where she met

, the head of the local youth organization. They married in 1902 and had six children, including future education minister

Kerttu Saalasti Kerttu Saalasti ( Kallio; 21 September 1907 – 31 January 1995) was a Finnish politician who was the Finland Minister of Education from 1954 to 1956 and from May 1957 to November 1957. She was the first female Minister of Education in Finland, ...

. After marriage, she became the hostess of a farm in Nivala; while Kyösti became increasingly involved in politics, Kaisa frequently turned down appointments to local committees. They moved to the

Presidential Palace A presidential palace is the official residence of the president in some countries. Some presidential palaces were once the official residences to monarchs in former monarchies that were preserved during those states' transition into republics. ...

Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...

when Kyösti was elected president in 1937. As spouse of the president, Kallio was involved with the Finnish Girl Guides and the

Kalevala The ''Kalevala'' () is a 19th-century compilation of epic poetry, compiled by Elias Lönnrot from Karelian and Finnish oral folklore and mythology, telling a story about the Creation of the Earth, describing the controversies and retaliatory ...

Women's League. After Kyösti Kallio's resignation due to poor health and his death in 1940, she moved back to Nivala to live with her granddaughter Tellervo. On Kallio's 60th birthday in 1938, a civic gift fund was established in her honor, and she donated the proceeds to establish , a rehabilitation centre for rural women. Kallio died on 25 November 1954 in Nivala, at the age of 76.

References

1878 births 1954 deaths First ladies and gentlemen of Finland People from Nivala {{Finland-bio-stub