Katariina "Kaisa" Kallio ( Nivala; 28 May 1878 – 25 November 1954) was a Finnish homemaker who was the spouse of the president of Finland from 1937 to 1940. She was married to

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 ...

, the fourth

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 ...

Biography

Katariina Nivala was born on 28 May 1878 in

Nivala Nivala is a town and municipality of Finland. It is located in the Northern Ostrobothnia region. The town has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . The municipality is unilingually Finnish. Ge ...

, Finland. She was the daughter of a farmer. Nivala attended a

folk high school Folk high schools (also ''Adult Education Center'', Danish: ''Folkehøjskole;'' Dutch: ''Volkshogeschool;'' Finnish: ''kansanopisto'' and ''työväenopisto'' or ''kansalaisopisto;'' German: ''Volkshochschule'' and (a few) ''Heimvolkshochschule;'' ...

Haapavesi Haapavesi is a town and a municipality of Finland. It is located in the North Ostrobothnia region. The name means "Aspen Water". The town has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . Neighbour mun ...

, where she met

, the head of the local youth organization. They married in 1902 and had six children, including future education minister Kerttu Saalasti. After marriage, she became the hostess of a farm in Nivala; while Kyösti became increasingly involved in politics, Kaisa frequently turned down appointments to local committees. They moved to the Presidential Palace 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 ...

when Kyösti was elected president in 1937. As spouse of the president, Kallio was involved with the Finnish Girl Guides and the

Kalevala The ''Kalevala'' ( fi, Kalevala, ) is a 19th-century work of epic poetry compiled by Elias Lönnrot from Karelian and Finnish oral folklore and mythology, telling an epic story about the Creation of the Earth, describing the controversies and r ...

Women's League. After Kyösti Kallio's resignation due to poor health and his death in 1940, she moved back to Nivala to live with her granddaughter Tellervo. On Kallio's 60th birthday in 1938, a civic gift fund was established in her honor, and she donated the proceeds to establish , a rehabilitation centre for rural women. Kallio died on 25 November 1954 in Nivala, at the age of 76.

References

1878 births 1954 deaths First ladies and gentlemen of Finland People from Nivala {{Finland-bio-stub