Sulo Arvi Pohjanpää (10 July 1887 – 21 December 1959) was a Finnish Olympic gymnast, judge and writer.
Gymnastics
He won the Finnish national championship in team gymnastics as a member of Ylioppilasvoimistelijat in 1909.
Law
He took his matriculation exam in Tampere real lycaeum in 1905. He graduated as a Master of Laws from the University of Helsinki in 1910. He received the title
varatuomari
(lit. 'vice-judge' or 'reserve judge'; Swedish: ), or Master of Laws with court training, is a Finnish legal title for a qualified lawyer who has been trained on the bench and is equipped to appear before a court.
The title dates back to the 1 ...
in 1913.
Beginning in 1911, he worked various duties in the legal system. Eventually, he was a judge advocate general in the superior court martial from 1931 to 1952 and then a Judge of the Court of Appeal in the Helsinki Court of Appeal from 1952 to 1954.
He sentenced
Martta Koskinen, the last woman executed in Finland, to death as chief justice of the case. He was the chief justice in the case of
. He voted for death, although she received life imprisonment. He sentenced
Arndt Pekurinen
Arndt Juho Pekurinen (29 August 1905 – 5 November 1941) was a Finnish people, Finnish pacifism, pacifist and conscientious objector.
In 1926, Pekurinen repeatedly refused mandatory conscription, leading to his imprisonment between 1929 and 19 ...
to prison for his refusal to fight in the Winter War.
Literature
He first published work was a short story collection ''Tuntureilta'' in 1913. His debut as a playwright, ''Vala'', was premiered by the
Finnish National Theatre
The Finnish National Theatre (), established in 1872, is a theatre located in central Helsinki on the northern side of the Helsinki Central Railway Station Square. The Finnish National Theatre is the oldest Finnish speaking professional thea ...
in 1918. His play ''Jumalan käskynhaltija'' was adapted into film ''Jumalan tuomio'' in 1939.
He was the secretary of the
Union of Finnish Writers in 1919–1920.
He used the pseudonym A.P:pää writing in newspapers.
Accolades
He received the following honorary awards:
* Commemorative Medal of the Liberation War
*
Commander of the White Rose of Finland, 1937
* Commemorative Medal of the Winter War
*
Cross of Liberty, 3rd Class; 1940
* Cross of Liberty, 2nd Class; 1945
* Decoration for 40 years' faultless service, 1951
Family
His parents were master tailor Kaarle Henrik Pohjanpää and Ida Vilhelmina Kourlaa. His first wife was Lempi Vilma Ranttila (1892–1947), married in 1922. They had children:
# Eila Helena Marjatta (1924–)
# Anja Meri Kristiina (1926–)
#
Armi Elina Annikki (1933–1996), who married
Pentti Siimes
Pentti Kalevi Siimes (10 September 1929 – 27 October 2016) was a Finnish actor. He appeared in more than 80 films and television shows between 1946 and 2008.
Siimes starred in the film ''Miriam'', which was entered into the 8th Berlin In ...
His second wife was Aila Tellervo Heikinheimo (1919–), married in 1953.
He finnicized his familyname from Nordqvist to Pohjanpää in 1906.
Poet
Lauri Pohjanpää was his brother.
Olympic diver
Laura Kivelä was his granddaughter.
He was buried in Finland at the Hietaniemi Cemetery.
References
External links
*
1887 births
1959 deaths
Writers from Helsinki
People from Uusimaa Province (Grand Duchy of Finland)
Finnish male artistic gymnasts
Gymnasts at the 1908 Summer Olympics
Olympic gymnasts for Finland
Olympic bronze medalists for Finland
Olympic medalists in gymnastics
Medalists at the 1908 Summer Olympics
20th-century Finnish people
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