Valtioneuvos
Encyclopedia
Valtioneuvos is a Finnish title of honor awarded by the President to elder statesmen
. It is in the highest class of the titles of honor (along with vuorineuvos
). The equivalent in English is honorary Privy Councillor, which was in fact called salaneuvos (Councillor of the Supreme Secret Council) in Imperial Russia.
The title has been awarded eight times in independent Finland since 1917:
Former Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen
declined the honor, commenting that no one outside Finland knows what valtioneuvos is, and that he is satisfied with "former Prime Minister".
The title was awarded six times during the Grand Duchy of Finland
.
Statesman
A statesman is usually a politician or other notable public figure who has had a long and respected career in politics or government at the national and international level. As a term of respect, it is usually left to supporters or commentators to use the term...
. It is in the highest class of the titles of honor (along with vuorineuvos
Vuorineuvos
Vuorineuvos is a Finnish honorary title granted by the President of Finland to leading industry figures. The title is honorary and has no responsibilities and no privileges. All Finnish titles are non-hereditary. The only title of equal rank is valtioneuvos.There is no official or established...
). The equivalent in English is honorary Privy Councillor, which was in fact called salaneuvos (Councillor of the Supreme Secret Council) in Imperial Russia.
The title has been awarded eight times in independent Finland since 1917:
- Juho Kusti PaasikiviJuho Kusti PaasikiviJuho Kusti Paasikivi was the seventh President of Finland . Representing the Finnish Party and the National Coalition Party, he also served as Prime Minister of Finland , and was generally an influential figure in Finnish economics and politics for over fifty years...
— SenatorSenate of FinlandThe Senate of Finland combined the functions of cabinet and supreme court in the Grand Duchy of Finland from 1816 to 1917 and in the independent Republic of Finland from 1917 to 1918....
, Prime Minister, President (1930) - Emil Nestor Setälä — Senator, Professor (1934)
- Eero Yrjö PehkonenEero Yrjö PehkonenEero Yrjö Pehkonen was a Finnish politician. He was a member of the Senate of Finland. Pehkonen was minister of agriculture of Finland from 1920 until 1921and governor of the province of Oulu 1925-1948....
— Senator, Provincial Governor (1948) - Karl-August FagerholmKarl-August FagerholmKarl-August Fagerholm was Speaker of Parliament and three times Prime Minister of Finland . Fagerholm became chairman of the Social Democrats after the armistice in the Continuation War...
— Prime Minister, Speaker of Parliament (1969) - Martti MiettunenMartti MiettunenMartti Johannes Miettunen , was a politician in Finland. He was prime minister in 1961–1962 and 1975–1977.Miettunen was born in Simo...
— Provincial Governor, Prime Minister (1977) - Johannes VirolainenJohannes VirolainenJohannes Virolainen was a Finnish politician.Virolainen was born near Viipuri. After the Continuation War Virolainen moved to Lohja, but he remained one of the leaders of the evacuated Karelians, and never gave up the hope that Soviet Union and later Russia would return Finnish Karelia to Finland...
— Prime Minister, Speaker of Parliament (1989) - Harri Holkeri — Bank of Finland Chairman, Prime Minister (1998)
- Riitta UosukainenRiitta UosukainenRiitta Maria Uosukainen is a Finnish politician and former Member of Parliament. She is one of the eight people to gain the highest honorary title, valtioneuvos, given by the President....
— Minister of Education, Speaker of Parliament (2004)
Former Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen
Paavo Lipponen
Paavo Tapio Lipponen is a Finnish politician and former reporter. He was Prime Minister of Finland from 1995 to 2003, and Chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Finland from 1993 to 2005...
declined the honor, commenting that no one outside Finland knows what valtioneuvos is, and that he is satisfied with "former Prime Minister".
The title was awarded six times during the Grand Duchy of Finland
Grand Duchy of Finland
The Grand Duchy of Finland was the predecessor state of modern Finland. It existed 1809–1917 as part of the Russian Empire and was ruled by the Russian czar as Grand Prince.- History :...
.
- C. G. Estlander (1898)
- Jaakko ForsmanJaakko ForsmanJaakko Forsman was a Finnish jurist and politician, as well as a leading activist of the Fennoman movement.In 1857, he attained his doctorate in law at the University of Helsinki with the first Finnish language dissertation ever submitted to the Faculty of Law there...
(1898) - J. R. Danielson-KalmariJohan Richard Danielson-KalmariJohan Richard Danielson-Kalmari was a Finnish Senator, professor of history, State Councillor and a Fennoman. He was a Senator without portfolio in the Hjelt Senate from August 1 1908 to November 13 1909.Danielson was the son of chaplain Johan Philip Danielson and Amanda Lovisa Palander...
(1903) - August Ramsay (1906)
- Väinö Kivi (1916)
- Karl Snellman (1917)