Eemil Nestor Setälä (; 27 February 1864 – 8 February 1935) was a Finnish politician and once the Chairman of the

Senate of Finland The Senate of Finland ( fi, Suomen senaatti, sv, Senaten för Finland) combined the functions of cabinet and supreme court in the Grand Duchy of Finland from 1816 to 1917 and in the independent Finland from 1917 to 1918. The body that would beco ...

, from September 1917 to November 1917, when he was author of the Finnish Declaration of Independence. Setälä was a

linguist Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Lingui ...

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professor ...

of Finnish

language Language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans communicate, and may be conveyed through a variety of ...

and

literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to inclu ...

at Helsinki University from 1893 to 1929. He was a major influence on the study of Finnish language, and the founder of the research institute '' Suomen suku'' ("The Family of the Finnish Language").

Life

Back row from left Ilmari, Kaarle, Helmi with spouse E

Setälä was born in 1864. In 1892 he married the writer and editor, Helmi Krohn, and she took the name Setälä which she used until they divorced in 1913. A divorce was unusual at this time in Finland. Architect and writer Salme Setälä was their daughter. His political activities led him to be elected several times to the parliament, for the

Young Finnish Party The Young Finnish Party or Constitutional-Fennoman Party ( fi, Nuorsuomalainen Puolue or ) was a liberal and nationalist political party in the Grand Duchy of Finland. It began as an upper-class reformist movement during the 1870s and formed as ...

and for the

National Coalition Party The National Coalition Party (NCP; fi, Kansallinen Kokoomus ; '; sv, Samlingspartiet; ') is a Liberal conservatism, liberal-conservative List of political parties in Finland, political party in Finland. Ideologically, the National Coalition Par ...

. For a brief period at the end of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, he served as acting head of state as the Chairman of the Senate. Later Setälä held

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 ...

posts as of the minister of education (1925) and the Foreign Minister (1925-1926). He was the Envoy of Finland to

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establishe ...

and

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croa ...

from 1927 to 1930. From 1926 to 1935 he was Chancellor of the

University of Turku sv, Åbo universitet , latin_name = Universitas Aboensis , image_name = University of Turku.svg , motto = ''Vapaan kansan lahja vapaalle tieteelle'' , established = 1920 , type ...

. He is buried in the Hietaniemi Cemetery in Helsinki.

References

External links

E.N. Setälä in 375 humanists 21.02.2015, Faculty of Arts, University of Helsinki
{{DEFAULTSORT:Setala, Eemil Nestor 1864 births 1935 deaths People from Kokemäki People from Turku and Pori Province (Grand Duchy of Finland) Young Finnish Party politicians National Coalition Party politicians Finnish senators Ministers of Education of Finland Ministers for Foreign Affairs of Finland Members of the Diet of Finland Members of the Parliament of Finland (1907–08) Members of the Parliament of Finland (1908–09) Members of the Parliament of Finland (1910–11) Members of the Parliament of Finland (1917–19) Members of the Parliament of Finland (1919–22) Members of the Parliament of Finland (1922–24) Members of the Parliament of Finland (1924–27) People of the Finnish Civil War (White side) Linguists from Finland Finnish Finno-Ugrists University of Helsinki alumni Academic personnel of the University of Helsinki Burials at Hietaniemi Cemetery Chancellors of the University of Turku