Carl Björkman (politician)

Carl Björkman (15 February 1873 – 5 September 1948) was a politician in

Åland Åland ( fi, Ahvenanmaa: ; ; ) is an Federacy, autonomous and Demilitarized zone, demilitarised region of Finland since 1920 by a decision of the League of Nations. It is the smallest region of Finland by area and population, with a size of 1 ...

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

. He was born in

Turku Turku ( ; ; sv, Åbo, ) is a city and former capital on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River, in the region of Finland Proper (''Varsinais-Suomi'') and the former Turku and Pori Province (''Turun ja Porin lääni''; ...

and was the first

premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...

of the

Government of Åland The ''Landskapsregering'' is the government of Åland, an autonomous region of Finland. The government is led by a Lantråd, the premier of Åland, who is elected by the '' Lagting'', the parliament of Åland. List of Premiers of Åland (since 1 ...

. Carl Björkman was along with

Julius Sundblom August Julius Sundblom (22 June 1865 – 23 August 1945) was an editor and politician in Åland, Finland. Sundblom was born in Jomala, Åland. He founded '' Tidningen Åland'' in 1891, and was its editor-in-chief during 1891–1896 and 1921� ...

the most prominent figure of the Åland movement for reunion with Sweden. Following

declaration of independence A declaration of independence or declaration of statehood or proclamation of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the ...

in 1917, Björkman became one of the leading proponents of returning Åland to Sweden, which resulted in the

Åland Crisis Åland ( fi, Ahvenanmaa: ; ; ) is an autonomous and demilitarised region of Finland since 1920 by a decision of the League of Nations. It is the smallest region of Finland by area and population, with a size of 1,580 km2, and a populati ...

. Before the resolution of the crisis, Björkman, along with

, was arrested by Finnish police and spent a few days in prison, accused of

treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...

. In 1922, Björkman became the first

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...

(swe: ''

Lantråd Lantråd is the title of the Head of Government of the Åland, Åland Islands in Finland. The person holding the office leads its regional government. The current Lantråd is Veronica Thörnroos. __NOTOC__ List List of Premiers of the Åland Isl ...

'') of ''Landskapsstyrelsen'' (later called '' Landskapsregeringen''), the executive branch of the Åland government, which had been instituted in accordance with the Finnish Autonomy Act of 1920 as part of the solution to the Åland Crisis. He would serve as lantråd until 1938. 1873 births 1948 deaths Politicians from Turku People from Turku and Pori Province (Grand Duchy of Finland) Swedish-speaking Finns Premiers of Åland {{Åland-bio-stub