Leo Mechelin

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Leopold (Leo) Henrik Stanislaus Mechelin (born 24 November 1839, Hamina — January 26, 1914, Helsinki) was a Finnish professor, statesman, and liberal reformer. A leading defender of the autonomy of the Grand Duchy of Finland, and of the rights of women and minorities, Mechelin's 1905-1908 government ("Mechelin's senate") made Finland the first country in the world with the universal right to vote and to be elected. His period in office also saw the introduction of the freedom of expression, the press, and of assembly.

He also founded the Liberal Party of Finland (1880-85), wrote its program, founded the Nokia company (1871) with Fredrik Idestam, was the first chairman of the town council of Helsinki (1875-76 and 1892-99) and an internationally respected expert on politology and member of peace movement.

Mechelin lead the passive resistance in Finland during the first period of oppression (1899-1905) until and even after his expellion (1903), from which the official had to let him return as a member of parliament (1904), followed by a celebrating crowd of ten thousand people. In a secret meeting of the Kagaali, Mechelin had written a petition against the draft of Finns to the Russian army, receiving almost 500 000 signatures. His coalition, the Constitutionals, finally managed to end the draft with their boycotts against it.

Born in Hamina in 1839, the son of Gustaf Johan Mechelin and Amanda Gustava Costiander, Leo Mechelin studied at the University of Helsinki, gaining his Bachelor's and Master's degree's in Philosophy in 1860, a Bachelor's degree in law in 1864, and a License and Doctorate in 1873.

As the professor of jurisdiction and politology, Mechelin had shown that the tsars were bound by the old constitutional laws from the time of the Swedish rule of Finland (before 1809), and hence Finland was a separate, constitutional state, which the tsar could only rule by the laws, whereas in Russia he had the absolute power. During the periods of oppression, the tsar tried to impose unconstitutional laws, which Mechelin opposed. The unrests in Russia and Finland (1905) finally made the tsar comply to the manifest written by Mechelin. This allowed Mechelin to form the government (1905-1908) and to made Finland the first liberal democracy in some respects (e.g., in New Zealand women already had the right to vote but not to be voted; in Australia only white people had those rights), 1906. In 1907, the first universal elections to the one-chamber parliament ("eduskunta") were held, and 19 of its 200 first members were women. However, the constitutionals of all parties did not get a minority, and the tsar realized that he could carry on with the oppression, starting the second period of oppression (1908-1917). Mechelin died in 1914 and, after the two revolutions in Russia, Finland declared its independence (1917), after which Mechelin's younger co-workers completed his work.

Nokia, nowadays a world-leading mobile phone company, was originally founded as a forestry company, by Mechelin and his study-time room-mate Idestam. Later Mechelin wanted to expand Nokia into electricity business, which Idestam opposed, but Mechelin managed to convince most shareholders of his plans and became the chairman of the company (1898-1914), thus being able to realize his visions.

Mechelin was also active in civil society and the president of the current University of Art and Design Helsinki and the Finnish Art Society. As a politician he was always highly respected among all parties and citizens, although he was never the member of any party after the dissolution of the Liberal Party (1885).