Bruno Jalander (28 August 1872 – 14 December 1966) was a Finnish military officer who served as minister of war in the post-World War I period between 1920 and 1923.

Early life

Jalander was born in Brahestad on 28 August 1872. He was educated at the Finnish Cadet Corps in Fredrikshamn.

Career and activities

Jalander served in Nyland's Finnish sniper battalion until the Finnish national military was disbanded. For three years he served with a Russian troop unit in the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range, have historically ...

. However, he left the army and worked in different jobs such as deputy chief of police and insurance inspector. When

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

broke out in 1914 Jalander resumed his military service in Russia where he served as company commander and battalion commander's adjutant in the defense units set up by the Petrograd Infantry Division. Following the

Soviet revolution The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key moment ...

in 1917 Jalander began to work in the Office of the

Governor-General of Finland The governor-general of Finland ( fi, Suomen kenraalikuvernööri; sv, generalguvernör över Finland; russian: генерал-губернатор Финляндии) was the military commander and the highest administrator of Finland sporadic ...

. He was also a member of the military committee composed of the activists who gathered to fight against Russians. In November 1917 Jalander was promoted to the rank of

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

and was appointed governor of Nyland county. In April 1918 after the German occupation of Helsinki he resumed his post as governor. In June 1918 he joined the

Finnish army The Finnish Army (Finnish: ''Maavoimat'', Swedish: ''Armén'') is the land forces branch of the Finnish Defence Forces. The Finnish Army is divided into six branches: the infantry (which includes armoured units), field artillery, anti-aircraft ...

as a

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

. On 15 March 1920 Jalander was appointed minister of war in

Rafael Erich Rafael Waldemar Erich (10 June 1879 in Turku – 19 February 1946 in Helsinki) was a Finnish politician from the National Coalition Party, Professor, diplomat, and Prime Minister of Finland. The sixth cabinet of the Republic of Finland, Erich's ...

cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filing ...

. His rank was colonel at the time of his appointment, but a few months later he was promoted to the rank of

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

. The cabinet resigned in April 1921. In September 1921 Jalander was re-appointed minister of war to the second cabinet of

Juho Vennola Juho Heikki Vennola (originally Karhu, 19 June 1872 – 3 December 1938) was Professor of National Economics at the University of Helsinki, a member of the Parliament of Finland, and a politician from the Edistyspuolue, National Progressive Party, ...

, replacing Onni Hämäläinen in the post. However, he resigned from the office soon after his appointment due to a conflict over the nomination of

Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim Baron Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim (, ; 4 June 1867 – 27 January 1951) was a Finnish military leader and statesman. He served as the military leader of the Whites in the Finnish Civil War of 1918, as Regent of Finland (1918–1919), as comma ...

as the head of the Civil Guard. Jalander was replaced by Lauri Malmberg as defense minister. Jalander continued to serve as minister of war in the

led by

Aimo Cajander Aimo Kaarlo Cajander (4 April 1879 – 21 January 1943) was the Prime Minister of Finland up to the Winter War. Cajander was born in Uusikaupunki, and became a botanist, a professor of forestry 1911–34; director-general for Finland's Fore ...

and in the

led by

Kyösti Kallio Kyösti Kallio (; 10 April 1873 – 19 December 1940) was a Finnish politician of the Agrarian League who served as the fourth president of Finland from 1937–1940; his presidency included leading the country through the Winter War. He was t ...

between 14 November 1922 and 22 June 1923.

Personal life and death

Jalander married three times. His first spouse was Nina Helena Schultz with who he wed in 1906. His second wife was an opera singer,

Aino Ackté Aino Ackté (originally Achte; 24 April 18768 August 1944) was a Finnish soprano. She was the first international star of the Finnish opera scene after Alma Fohström, and a groundbreaker for the domestic field. Biography Ackté was born in H ...

, and they married in 1919. Jalander's third spouse was Zoja Orloff, and they wed in 1947. Jalander died in Helsinki on 14 December 1966.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jalander, Bruno 1924 births 1966 deaths Ministers of Defence of Finland People from Raahe Major generals