Niilo Emil Koponen (March 6, 1928 – December 3, 2013) was an American educator and politician.

Early life

Born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

to Finnish parents, he lived with them in a housing cooperative in a Jewish neighborhood in the Bronx. Koponen attended the

High School of Music & Art The High School of Music & Art, informally known as "Music & Art" (or "M&A"), was a public specialized high school located at 443-465 West 135th Street in the borough of Manhattan, New York, from 1936 until 1984. In 1961, Music & Art and the High ...

in New York City.

Education

He attended Cooper Union with a major in civil engineering from 1947 to 1948, then attended what is now known as Central State College in

Wilberforce, Ohio Wilberforce is a census-designated place (CDP) in Greene County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,271 at the 2010 census, up from 1,579 at the 2000 census. History After Wilberforce College was established in 1856, the community was ...

with a B.S. 1952 in social administration and sociology. In 1957, Koponen received a B.Ed from the University of Alaska in education and anthropology, along with a teaching certificate. In 1958-59, he and his family moved for him to study anthropology from the

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) is a public university, public research university located in London, England and a constituent college of the federal University of London. Founded in 1895 by Fabian Society members Sidn ...

, where he received honors. In 1964-66, the family again left Fairbanks, where he studied educational administration at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

's Graduate School of Education and received his doctorate.

Move to Alaska

At that point, he married a Boston-born student from the adjacent Antioch College (they met folk dancing) and they moved to

Fairbanks, Alaska Fairbanks is a home rule city and the borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior region of Alaska and the second largest in the state. The 2020 Census put the p ...

in 1952 with his wife, homesteading 160 acres on Chena Ridge and they raised five children. He worked several jobs, including as an electrician on the F.E. Company's gold dredges. Koponen's resumé was very extensive. He taught in elementary school and was principal of University Park Elementary School of the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District. He resurrected the Fairbanks branch of Head Start, serving as Executive Director 1972-1976. During his time in Alaska, Koponen was very involved in his community, serving on the City of Fairbanks Parks and Recreation Commission (1970–73), Chena Community Association, Fairbanks Administrative Committee on Social Services, Chairman Fairbanks Head Start Association (1967–71), Kiwanis,

Tanana Valley State Fair The Tanana Valley State Fair is an annual state fair held in College, Alaska, United States. The event commences on the first Friday in August, and is a major annual event in Interior Alaska. The fair is held on a hundred-acre plot of land just ...

Board of Directors (1959–63, 1967–70) and served on the Fairbanks ACLU from 1972-1976. He was co-founder of the Alaska Federation for Community Self Reliance which sponsored the Fairbanks Community Garden. He helped organized the Greater Fairbanks Teachers Credit Union, serving on the board 1958-62, 1966-72. This credit union later became the Northern Schools Credit Union, then the Spirit of Alaska Federal Credit Union). He also organized the Chena Goldstream Volunteer Fire Department. He and his wife donated the property on which the Department's Station 2 now resides. He was engaged as an active Quaker, co-founding the Chena Ridge Friends Meeting in Fairbanks.

Alaska House of Representatives

Koponen served in the

Alaska House of Representatives The Alaska State House of Representatives is the lower house in the Alaska Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alaska. The House is composed of 40 members, each of whom represents a district of approximately 17,756 people per ...

in 1982-1992 as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

. In 1982, Koponen defeated

Ken Fanning Kenneth James Fanning (born April 28, 1947) is an American hunting and fishing guide and former politician. In 1980, Fanning was elected to the Alaska House of Representatives as a Libertarian, becoming the second person elected to a U.S. state l ...

, one of the country's only Libertarian legislators taking approximately 61% of the vote. He was one of thirteen members of

Democratic Socialists of America The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is a Left-wing politics, left-wing Democratic Socialists of America#Tendencies within the DSA, multi-tendency Socialism, socialist and Labour movement, labor-oriented political organization. Its roots ...

to be elected to a state legislature that year. He served in th
13th14th15th16th
an
17th
Legislatures. He represented the 21st district. During lean times when constituents would ask to cut the budget, his response was to ask "what program or service do you currently benefit from do you want to cut?" Koponen was one of a few members of the

to be elected to public office.

Death

Koponen died at the Pioneer's Home in Fairbanks on December 3, 2013, and a memorial was held January 5, 2014.Parnell orders flags lowered for Koponen
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References

External links

Niilo Emil Koponen obituary

Koponen family website

Niilo Koponen
at ''100 Years of Alaska's Legislature''
Draft for New Left article referenced in Note 2 above

Alaska Election Results history
{{DEFAULTSORT:Koponen, Niilo 1928 births 2013 deaths American people of Finnish descent American school administrators Businesspeople from Fairbanks, Alaska Schoolteachers from Alaska Harvard Graduate School of Education alumni Democratic Party members of the Alaska House of Representatives Members of the Democratic Socialists of America from Alaska Politicians from the Bronx University of Alaska Fairbanks alumni Wilberforce University alumni Educators from New York City 20th-century American businesspeople