Ester Ståhlberg, née Elfving (February 17, 1870 – July 21, 1950) was a Finnish writer and educator and the first First Lady of Finland. She was the wife of president

Kaarlo Juho Ståhlberg Kaarlo Juho Ståhlberg (, ; 28 January 1865 – 22 September 1952) was a Finnish jurist and academic, which was one of the most important pioneers of republicanism in the country. He was the first president of Finland (1919–1925) and a libera ...

. The daughter of Karl Oskar Elfving, mayor, and Jenny Nyman, she was born Ester Elfving in

Vaasa Vaasa (; sv, Vasa, , Sweden ), in the years 1855–1917 as Nikolainkaupunki ( sv, Nikolajstad; literally meaning "city of Nicholas),

, went on to study in

Oulu Oulu ( , ; sv, Uleåborg ) is a city, municipality and a seaside resort of about 210,000 inhabitants in the region of North Ostrobothnia, Finland. It is the most populous city in northern Finland and the fifth most populous in the country after: ...

and then continued with post-graduate studies in

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

. For a time, she taught Swedish. After the death of her first husband in 1917, she was named to the child welfare department of the Finnish

Ministry of Social Affairs A Ministry of Social Affairs or Department of Social Affairs is the common name for a government department found in Sovereign state, states where the government is divided into Ministry (government department), ministries or departments. While th ...

. From 1912 to 1919, Ståhlberg served on the editorial board of ''Valvoja'' magazine. She was editor of ''Aamu'' magazine from 1926 to 1931. She also published novels and biographies, including a biography of

Mathilda Wrede Mathilda Wrede (March 8, 1864, Vaasa – December 25, 1928), was a Finnish evangelist and baroness, known for being a precursor in the rehabilitation of prisoners, and known in Finland as "Friend of the prisoners". Life Her father, Carl Gustaf ...

. In 1922, she founded ''Koteja kodittomille lapsille'' ("Home for Homeless Children"), later known as ''Pelastakaa Lapset'' ("

Save the Children The Save the Children Fund, commonly known as Save the Children, is an international non-governmental organization established in the United Kingdom in 1919 to improve the lives of children through better education, health care, and economic ...

"). Ståhlberg was married twice: first to Karl Hällström, a pharmacist, who died in 1917. In 1920, she married the widower

, during his term as the first

President of Finland The president of the Republic of Finland ( fi, Suomen tasavallan presidentti; sv, Republiken Finlands president) is the head of state of Finland. Under the Constitution of Finland, executive power is vested in the Finnish Government and the p ...

. She died in Helsinki.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stahlberg, Ester 1870 births 1950 deaths Finnish women writers Finnish women journalists First ladies and gentlemen of Finland