Pehr Evind Svinhufvud

Pehr Evind Svinhufvud af Qvalstad (Finland Swedish: [ˈpæːr ˈeːʋin(d) ˈsviːnhʉːʋʉd ɑːv kʋɑːlstɑːd], 15 December 1861 – 29 February 1944) served as the president of Finland from 1931 to 1937. Before 1917, as a lawyer, judge, and politician in the Grand Duchy of Finland (at that time an autonomous state within the Russian Empire), Svinhufvud played a major role in the movement for Finnish independence, and he presented the Declaration of Independence to the Parliament on 15 December [O.S. 2 December] 1917.

From December 1917 until May 1918, Svinhufvud operated as the first head of government of independent Finland as Chairman of the Senate. He led the White government during the Finnish Civil War of January to May 1918, while Mannerheim led the White Finnish armies. After the war, he served as Finland's first temporary head of state with the title of Regent (May to December 1918) during the project to establish a German-aligned monarchy in the country, prior to stepping down in favour of Mannerheim. He later served as Prime Minister from 1930 to 1931, before his election as national president in January 1931. During his presidency, Svinhufvud successfully called for an end to the Mäntsälä rebellion of 1932.

As a conservative and nationalist who strongly opposed communism and the Left in general, Svinhufvud did not become a President embraced by all the people, although as the amiable Ukko-Pekka ("Old Man Pekka"), he did enjoy wide popularity. Svinhufvud's sharp line as a defender of Finland's legal rights during the period under Russian rule was especially valued from the early years of independence until the end of World War II, unlike in later decades. After the collapse of the communist bloc and the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, appreciation of Svinhufvud increased.