Antti Oskari Tokoi (15 April 1873 – 4 April 1963) was a Finnish

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 ...

politician who served as a leader of 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 ...

. Tokoi became Chairman of the

Senate of Finland The Senate of Finland (; ) combined the functions of Cabinet (government), cabinet and supreme court in the Grand Duchy of Finland from 1816 to 1917 and in independent Finland from 1917 to 1918. The body that would become the Senate was establis ...

in 1917, and thus, he was the world's first social democratic leader of the government. During the short-lived Revolution of 1918, Tokoi participated as a leading figure in the revolutionary government. Tokoi later emigrated to the United States, where he served as the long-time editor of ''

Raivaaja ''Raivaaja'' (English: The Pioneer) was a Finnish-language newspaper published from 1905 to 2009 in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, by Raivaaja Publishing Company. For the first three decades of its existence the publication was closely associated wit ...

'' (The Pioneer), the newspaper of the

Finnish Socialist Federation The Finnish Socialist Federation () was a language federation of the Socialist Party of America which united Finnish language-speaking immigrants in the United States in a national organization designed to conduct propaganda and education for social ...

Life and Politics

Early years

Oskari Tokoi was born as Antti Oskari Hirvi in Yliviirre parish,

Kannus Kannus is a town and municipality of Finland. It is situated in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Central Ostrobothnia region. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of , of which is water. The populatio ...

in the

Central Ostrobothnia Central Ostrobothnia (; ) is a Regions of Finland, region in Finland. Central Ostrobothnia borders the Bothnian Bay and the regions of Ostrobothnia (administrative region), Ostrobothnia, North Ostrobothnia, Central Finland and South Ostrobothnia ...

region of Finland on May 15, 1873. The family adopted the surname "Tokoi," the name of a farm purchased by his paternal grandfather, in accordance with common local practice in this period. His father, Kalle, was a farmer and horse-trader. With the economic situation grim, Tokoi's uncle emigrated to the United States in 1878, inspiring Tokoi's father to follow him in 1881. His father had been one of the few

literate Literacy is the ability to read and write, while illiteracy refers to an inability to read and write. Some researchers suggest that the study of "literacy" as a concept can be divided into two periods: the period before 1950, when literacy was ...

people in the area and saw the benefit of reading, so Oskari was enrolled to attend

grammar school A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a Latin school, school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented Se ...

as a boarder in a neighboring village at the time his father departed for America. Tokoi would be a star pupil at the school, but his parents refused permission for him to attend school after the first four years were completed and literacy attained; Tokoi would never attend a formal educational institution again. Oskari's father returned to Finland in January 1887.Tokoi, ''Sisu,'' pg. 27. As his brother, Oskari's uncle, had already taken over the family farm, Oskari's father resumed his career as a horse-trader, with mixed success. The interlude proved to be a short one, however, as his father died of an internal ailment at the age of 33, just three months after his return. Tokoi spent the next four years working as a farm laborer for others and for his uncle, with whom he clashed on a personal level. After severely injuring another boy in a fight, resulting in medical costs, the relationship between Tokoi and his uncle further deteriorated and by mutual consent in January 1891 the 17-year old Oskari quit the family farm to emigrate to America. The next phase of his life had arrived.

First American interlude

Following a difficult winter journey across the sea beginning in January 1891, Tokoi arrived in the United States and made his way to the coal mines of the state of

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 ...

, in which his father had worked before him. Tokoi worked in a series of coal and hard metal mines in Wyoming,

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

, and the

Dakota Territory The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of ...

, joining the radical

Western Federation of Miners The Western Federation of Miners (WFM) was a labor union that gained a reputation for militancy in the mines of the western United States and British Columbia. Its efforts to organize both hard rock miners and smelter workers brought it into ...

in connection with his employment. Loss of employment in the mines later forced him to travel the Midwest in search of work, however. Tokoi returned to Finland in 1900, where he worked as a farmer and a merchant.

Finnish political career

Tokoi became politically active in 1901, participating in the popular movement against the Russification of Finland.David Kirby, "Antti Oskari Tokoi," in A. Thomas Lane (ed.), ''Biographical Dictionary of European Labor Leaders: M-Z.'' Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1995; pp. 968-969. His activity led him to be elected as chairman of the workers' association of Kannus in 1905. In 1907 Tokoi was elected to the parliament (

Eduskunta The Parliament of Finland ( ; ) is the unicameral and supreme legislature of Finland, founded on 9 May 1906. In accordance with the Constitution of Finland, sovereignty belongs to the people, and that power is vested in the Parliament. The ...

) as a representative of the

Social Democrats Social democracy is a social, economic, and political philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy and a gradualist, reformist, and democratic approach toward achieving social equality. In modern practice, s ...

. From 1912 to 1917 he was the chairman of the Finnish Trade Union Federation. In 1913 Tokoi was elected as the speaker of the Eduskunta, and in 1917 as the head of the

. On 1 March 1918, a treaty between the socialist governments of Russia and Finland was signed in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

. The Treaty was signed by

Vladimir Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov ( 187021 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin, was a Russian revolutionary, politician and political theorist. He was the first head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 until Death and state funeral of ...

and

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...

from the Russian side and by Council of Peoples Representatives of Finland

Edvard Gylling Edvard Otto Vilhelm Gylling (30 November 1881 – 14 June 1938) was a prominent Social Democratic and later Communist politician in Finland, later leader of the Karelian Labor Commune and Karelian ASSR. Biography Gylling was born in Kuopio in 18 ...

and Oskari Tokoi. During the

Finnish Civil War The Finnish Civil War was a civil war in Finland in 1918 fought for the leadership and control of the country between Whites (Finland), White Finland and the Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic (Red Finland) during the country's transition fr ...

Tokoi sided with the Communists and worked as the "commissar in charge of provisions" (minister for supply) in the

Finnish People's Delegation The Finnish People's Delegation (, ) was the government of the Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic (Red Finland) created by a group of members in the Social Democratic Party of Finland during the Finnish Civil War from January to May 1918. The ...

. After the war, fearing punishment from the victorious

Whites White is a racial classification of people generally used for those of predominantly European ancestry. It is also a skin color specifier, although the definition can vary depending on context, nationality, ethnicity and point of view. De ...

, he fled to Russia.

Final emigration

During 1919 and 1920, he worked as a political advisor to the

Murmansk Legion The Murmansk Legion, also known as the Finnish Legion, was a British Royal Navy organized military unit during the 1918–1919 Allies of World War I, Allied North Russia Intervention. It was composed of Finland, Finnish Red Guards (Finland), Red G ...

, which was organized by the British against Finnish nationalists who were preparing military expeditions into British controlled parts of Russia. This effort was condemned by the

Bolsheviks The Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, were a radical Faction (political), faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) which split with the Mensheviks at the 2nd Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, ...

and Tokoi had to flee again. Tokoi traveled first to England and from there to Canada, where he remained one year and farmed in the

Timiskaming District Timiskaming is a district and census division in Northeastern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario. The district was created in 1912 from parts of Algoma, Nipissing, and Sudbury districts. In 1921, Cochrane District was created from p ...

. On November 21, 1921, Tokoi returned again to the United States via

Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan Sault Ste. Marie ( ') is a city in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Chippewa County, Michigan, Chippewa County and is the only city within the county. With a population of ...

, on his passport issued in England."Tokoi Arrested in Fitchburg as 'Anarchist,'" ''New York Call,'' v. 15, no. 2 (January 2, 1922), pg. 1. He made his way to the Finnish-American colony at

Fitchburg, Massachusetts Fitchburg is a city in northern Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The third-largest city in the county, its population was 41,946 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Fitchburg State University is located here. History ...

, where he was briefly incarcerated as a suspected anarchist. Held for forced repatriation to Finland, the deportation warrant was ultimately cancelled by the

Department of Labor A ministry of labour (''British English, UK''), or labor (''American English, US''), also known as a department of labour, or labor, is a government department responsible for setting labour standards, labour dispute mechanisms, employment, workfor ...

in April 1922, thereby allowing Tokoi to remain in America."Finn Socialist Can Stay in US: Tokoi Deport Warrant Has Been Cancelled," ''The New Age'' uffalo, NY vol. 10, whole no. 505 (April 27, 1922) pg. 5. Upon his release, Tokoi became an editor at the Finnish language newspaper ''Raivaaja'' (The Pioneer). During the

Winter War The Winter War was a war between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet invasion of Finland on 30 November 1939, three months after the outbreak of World War II, and ended three and a half months later with the Moscow Peac ...

of 1939–1940, Tokoi was an active public voice for the cause of Finland. Oskari-Tokoi-1958

In 1944, the

Finnish Parliament The Parliament of Finland ( ; ) is the unicameral and supreme legislature of Finland, founded on 9 May 1906. In accordance with the Constitution of Finland, sovereignty belongs to the people, and that power is vested in the Parliament. The P ...

passed the so-called ''Lex Tokoi'', by which Tokoi was exonerated of all charges related to the Finnish Civil War. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

he organized help for Finland among the

Finnish-Americans 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 ...

. He visited Finland several times in 1949, 1953, 1957 and 1958. In 1957 he attended the 50th anniversary of the Eduskunta.June Ilona Rantanen
''Antti Oskari Tokoi,''
The Finnish Center at Saima Park, www.saima-park.org/

Death and legacy

Oskari Tokoi gravsten - fotograf Bill Bourbeau findagrave

Oskari Tokoi died on April 4, 1963, and he was buried in Forest Hill Cemetery in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. Finland's President Kekkonen visited Forest Hill Cemetery in July 1970, pausing at the grave of the late Oskari Tokoi.

Political offices

* Member of Parliament of Finland—1907 to 1918 *

Speaker of the Parliament of Finland The speaker of the Parliament of Finland ( Finnish ''eduskunnan puhemies'', Swedish ''riksdagens talman''), along with two deputy speakers, is elected by Parliament during the first plenary session each year. Speakers are chosen for a year at a ...

—1913 *

Chairman of the Senate of Finland The Senate of Finland (; ) combined the functions of cabinet and supreme court in the Grand Duchy of Finland from 1816 to 1917 and in independent Finland from 1917 to 1918. The body that would become the Senate was established on August 18, 1809 ...

—1917

Memorials

*Tokoinranta, a

quay A wharf ( or wharfs), quay ( , also ), staith, or staithe is a structure on the shore of a harbour or on the bank of a river or canal where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers. Such a structure includes one or more Berth (mo ...

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 ...

, is named after him. *The Oskari Tokoi Memorial is located in the Finnish Center at Saima Park in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. *Tokoi was honored with a

Wäinö Aaltonen Wäinö Valdemar Aaltonen (8 March 1894 – 30 May 1966) was a Finnish artist and sculptor. The Chambers Biographical Dictionary describes him as "one of the leading Finnish sculptors". He was born to a tailor in the village of Karinainen, Finl ...

sculpture at Social Democratic Party headquarters in Helsinki. *On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of his birth, Oskari Tokoi was honored with a memorial in

, Finland.

Selected works

* ''Sisu: Even Through a Stone Wall: The Autobiography of the First Premier of Finland.'' New York: Robert Speller & Sons, 1957. * ''Keski-Pohjanmaan Maakuntaliitto.'' Keski-Pohjanmaan Maakuntaliitto, 1953.

References

External links