Vieno Severin "Severi" Alanne (October 23, 1879 – May 26, 1960) 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 ...
chemical engineer
A chemical engineer is a professional equipped with the knowledge of chemistry and other basic sciences who works principally in the chemical industry to convert basic raw materials into a variety of Product (chemistry), products and deals with ...
, dictionary compiler,
socialist
Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...
journalist, and
consumers' co-operative
A consumer cooperative is an enterprise owned by consumers and managed democratically and that aims at fulfilling the needs and aspirations of its members. Such cooperatives operate within the market economy independently of the state, as a for ...
organizer. Alanne is best remembered as a director and publicist for the large and popular Finnish-American consumers' co-operative in the
Upper Midwest
The Upper Midwest is a northern subregion of the U.S. Census Bureau's Midwestern United States. Although the exact boundaries are not uniformly agreed upon, the region is usually defined to include the states of Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota and Wi ...
region of the United States during the first half of the 20th century.
Biography
Early years
Vieno Severin Alanne, known to friends and family as Severi Alanne, was born in
Hämeenlinna
Hämeenlinna (; ; ; or ''Croneburgum'') is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Kanta-Häme. It is located in the southern interior of the country and on the shores of Vanajavesi, Lake Vanajavesi. The population of Hämeenlinna is appr ...
,
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, ...
, on October 23, 1879.
[ ] He was well educated, attending both preparatory school and a classical
lyceum
The lyceum is a category of educational institution defined within the education system of many countries, mainly in Europe. The definition varies among countries; usually it is a type of secondary school. Basic science and some introduction to ...
in his native Hämeenlinna, from which he graduated in 1897.
["Severi Alanne," in ''Who's Who Among Finnish-Americans: A Biographical Dictionary of Persons of Finnish Descent Who Have Made Noteworthy Contributions to the Pattern of American Life.'' Fitchburg, MA: Raivaaja Publishing Co., 1949; pg. 8.] After leaving the Hämeenlinna Lyceum, Alanne relocated to
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 ...
to attend the
Helsinki Polytechnic Institute, from which he graduated in 1902.
He remained in the field of
organic chemistry
Organic chemistry is a subdiscipline within chemistry involving the science, scientific study of the structure, properties, and reactions of organic compounds and organic matter, organic materials, i.e., matter in its various forms that contain ...
for two more years, working as an assistant to professor
Gusst Komppa while continuing his post-graduate studies.
Upon completion of his graduate studies in 1903,
Alanne taught as a professor of electro-chemistry at the Helsinki Polytechnic Institute and as an instructor of chemistry and later department head at a vocational school in Helsinki, remaining there until 1905.
An opponent of Tsarist autocracy in the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
, of which Finland was a part, Alanne joined the
Social Democratic Party of Finland
The Social Democratic Party of Finland ( , SDP, nicknamed: ''demarit'' in Finnish; , SD) is a social democratic political party in Finland. It is the third-largest party in the Parliament of Finland with a total of 43 seats.
Founded in 1899 as ...
''(Suomen Sosialidemokraattinen Puolue,'' SSP) in 1905. He was forced to emigrate from the country following the defeat of the
Revolution of 1905
The Russian Revolution of 1905, also known as the First Russian Revolution, was a revolution in the Russian Empire which began on 22 January 1905 and led to the establishment of a constitutional monarchy under the Russian Constitution of 1906, t ...
.
Career
In the United States, Alanne worked for two years as the manager of a
coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen.
Coal i ...
mine in
Hanna,
Wyoming
Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...
, and for two additional years as a research chemist for the
Viscol Company of
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is a suburb in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, located directly across the Charles River from Boston. The city's population as of the 2020 United States census, ...
.
He later took a position as an editor of the
Finnish-language
Finnish (endonym: or ) is a Finnic language of the Uralic language family, spoken by the majority of the population in Finland and by ethnic Finns outside of Finland. Finnish is one of the two official languages of Finland, alongside Swedish ...
socialist daily newspaper ''
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 ...
'' (The Worker), located in
Hancock, Michigan
Hancock is a city in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The population of Hancock was 4,501 at the 2020 United States census. The city is located within Houghton County, Michigan, Houghton County, and ...
.
In 1919, Alanne published a major book through the Työmies Publishing House, a large and comprehensive Finnish-English translating dictionary. Alanne's work was so well-regarded that the dictionary survived to see publication a posthumous second edition, published in Finland in 1968.
[''Suomalais-englantilainen suursanakirja'' (Finnish-English General Dictionary). Porvoo: Werner Söderström, 1968.]
Alanne found his lasting professional contribution in the field of
consumer cooperation, becoming director of the growing
Co-operative Central Exchange (CCE) of
Superior, Wisconsin
Superior (; ) is a city in Douglas County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. The population was 26,751 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located at the western end of Lake Superior in northwestern Wisconsin, the city l ...
in 1920 — a position he held until 1925.
At that time, Alanne moved on to fulfill a similar function for the umbrella organization of which the CCE was part, the
Northern States Cooperative League, based in
Minneapolis
Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...
,
Minnesota
Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...
.
Alanne remained at that post until 1936, after which he returned to Superior to work in the educational department of the Central Co-operative Wholesale, the name by which the CCE was then known.
His employment there finally ended in 1943 with his retirement at the age of 64.
Political career
Alanne made one run for public office, serving as the candidate of the
Workers (Communist) Party
The Workers Party of America (WPA) was the name of the legal party organization used by the Communist Party USA from December 1921 until the middle of 1929.
Background
As a legal political party, the Workers Party accepted affiliation from inde ...
for Governor of
Wisconsin
Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...
in 1924.
[Lawrence Barish (editor in chief), et al.]
"Vote for Governor in General Election, 1848-1990,"
''Wisconsin Blue Book, 1991-1992.'' Madison, WI: Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau, 1991; pg. 720. Alanne received just under 4200 votes in the race, finishing a distant fifth out of seven candidates.
Death and legacy
Severi Alanne died May 26, 1960, in Helsinki.
He was 80 years old at the time of his death.
Electoral history
, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", Primary Election, September 2, 1924
, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 4, 1924
Works
*
Suomalais-Englantilainen Sanakirja – Finnish-English Dictionary' Editor. Superior, WI: Työmies, 1919.
Reissued 1968 as ''Suomalais-englantilainen suursanakirja'' (Finnish-English General Dictionary).
* ''Osuustoimintaopas: Käsikirja Amerikan suomalaista osuustoimintaväkeä varten'' (The Cooperators' Guide: A Handbook for Finnish-American Cooperative Members). Superior, WI: Cooperative Central Exchange, 1921.
* "The Story of Co-operative Central Exchange," in ''Northern States Cooperative League Yearbook, 1925.'' Minneapolis: Northern States Cooperative League, 1925; pg. 68.
* "Through the Critical Years with the Central Exchange," in ''Northern States Cooperative League Yearbook, 1928.'' Minneapolis: Northern States Cooperative League, 1928; pp. 129–137.
* ''Fundamentals of Consumer Cooperation.'' Superior, WI: Cooperative Publishing Association, 1932.
* ''Kuluttajaosuustoiminnan perusteet'' (Basics of Consumer Cooperation). Superior, WI: Cooperative Publishing Association, 1937.
*
Manual for Co-operative Directors' Superior, WI: Cooperative Publishing Association, 1938.
* ''Englannin kielen ääntämisohjeita'' (On pronunciation of the English language). Porvoo, Finland: WSOY, 1956.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alanne, Severi
1879 births
1960 deaths
American Marxists
American people of Finnish descent
American socialists
Massachusetts socialists
Members of the Communist Party USA
Members of the Socialist Party of America
Michigan socialists
Minnesota socialists
Wyoming socialists
Finnish lexicographers
American lexicographers
Emigrants from the Grand Duchy of Finland to the United States