Pirjo Anneli Ala-Kapee-Hakulinen (born 25 March 1944) is a Finnish politician who was the minister of education in the fourth cabinet of prime minister

Kalevi Sorsa Taisto Kalevi Sorsa (21 December 1930 – 16 January 2004) was a Finnish politician who served as Prime Minister of Finland three times: 1972–1975, 1977–1979 and 1982–1987. At the time of his death he still held the record for most day ...

from 1986 to 1987. A member of the

Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties Fo ...

, she was also a member of the

Finnish Parliament The Parliament of Finland ( ; ) is the unicameral and supreme legislature of Finland, founded on 9 May 1906. In accordance with the Constitution of Finland, sovereignty belongs to the people, and that power is vested in the Parliament. The ...

from 1979 to 1989.

Biography

Ala-Kapee-Hakulinen was born on 25 March 1944 in

Vihti Vihti (; sv, Vichtis) is a small municipality located in the Uusimaa region of province of Southern Finland, approximately northwest of the capital city Helsinki. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water ...

, Finland. She completed the matriculation exam in 1966 and attended the

University of Tampere The University of Tampere (UTA) ( fi, Tampereen yliopisto (Tay), ) was a public university in Tampere, Finland that was merged with Tampere University of Technology to create the new Tampere University on 1 January 2019. The university offered u ...

, receiving the

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Th ...

degree in 1972. After graduating, Ala-Kapee-Hakulinen taught history and social studies at the , where she was a deputy principal from 1973 to 1975. She was a member of the

Ylöjärvi Ylöjärvi () is a town and a municipality in the Pirkanmaa region, northwest of Tampere and north of the capital city Helsinki in Finland. The town has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . ...

town council in 1973. From 1975 to 1979, she worked at the

Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions The Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions, usually referred to by the acronym SAK ( fi, Suomen Ammattiliittojen Keskusjärjestö; sv, Finlands Fackförbunds Centralorganisation, FFC) is the largest trade union confederation in Finland. Its ...

as researcher and secretary of the organization's history committee. She was elected to the city council of

Vantaa Vantaa (; sv, Vanda, ) is a city and municipality in Finland. It is part of the inner core of the Finnish Capital Region along with Helsinki, Espoo, and Kauniainen. With a population of (), Vantaa is the fourth most populated city in Finland ...

in 1977, a position that she held until 1989. Ala-Kapee-Hakulinen represented the constituency of

Uusimaa Uusimaa (; sv, Nyland, ; both lit. 'new land') is a region of Finland. It borders the regions of Southwest Finland, Tavastia Proper (Kanta-Häme), Päijänne Tavastia (Päijät-Häme), and Kymenlaakso. Finland's capital and largest city, ...

in the

Parliament of Finland The Parliament of Finland ( ; ) is the unicameral and supreme legislature of Finland, founded on 9 May 1906. In accordance with the Constitution of Finland, sovereignty belongs to the people, and that power is vested in the Parliament. The ...

from 24 March 1979 to 30 April 1989. A member of the Social Democratic Party of Finland, she sat on the Education Committee from 1979 to 1986 and the Finance Committee from 1987 to 1989. She has been described as being part of the SDP's left wing. In 1986, after minister of education

Kaarina Suonio Kaarina Elisabeth Suonio ( Brusiin; born 7 February 1941) is a Finnish retired politician and psychologist. She represented Helsinki in the Parliament of Finland from 1975 to 1986 as a member of the Social Democratic Party. From 1982 to 1986, sh ...

resigned to become the deputy mayor of

Tampere Tampere ( , , ; sv, Tammerfors, ) is a city in the Pirkanmaa region, located in the western part of Finland. Tampere is the most populous inland city in the Nordic countries. It has a population of 244,029; the urban area has a population o ...

, Ala-Kapee-Hakulinen was appointed by prime minister

to fill the vacancy. She was the education minister in Sorsa's fourth cabinet from 1 January 1986 to 30 April 1987, and focused on

vocational school A vocational school is a type of educational institution, which, depending on the country, may refer to either secondary or post-secondary education designed to provide vocational education or technical skills required to complete the task ...

s during her time as minister. Ala-Kapee-Hakulinen was the Second Deputy Chair of the SDP between 1987 and 1990. In 1989, Ala-Kapee-Hakulinen left Parliament to become the mayor of

. When the province of

Eastern Finland Eastern Finland ( fi, Itä-Suomen lääni, sv, Östra Finlands län) was a province of Finland from 1997 to 2009. It bordered the provinces of Oulu, Western Finland and Southern Finland. It also bordered Russia to the east. History On Septemb ...

was formed in 1997, she became its first and only governor until Finland's provinces were abolished in January 2010. Ala-Kapee-Hakulinen's first husband died of cancer in 1996. They had been married for 32 years. In 2001, she married

Kajaani Kajaani (; sv, Kajana) is the most populous town and the capital of the Kainuu Region of Finland. It is located southeast of Lake Oulu (Oulujärvi), which drains into the Gulf of Bothnia through the Oulu River (Oulujoki). As of , it had a pop ...

mayor Pentti Hakulinen at

Mikkeli Cathedral Mikkeli Cathedral is a large church in Mikkeli, Southern Savonia, Finland, designed by Finnish church architect Josef Stenbäck. It was built in 1896–1897 and represents the Gothic Revival style like many other churches designed by Stenbäck. ...

. In 2012, she returned to the Vantaa city council.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ala-Kapee-Hakulinen, Pirjo 1944 births 20th-century Finnish women politicians Finnish city councillors Living people Mayors of places in Finland Members of the Parliament of Finland (1979–83) Members of the Parliament of Finland (1983–87) Members of the Parliament of Finland (1987–91) Ministers of Education of Finland People from Vihti Social Democratic Party of Finland politicians University of Tampere alumni Women local politicians Women government ministers of Finland Women mayors of places in Finland

Biography

See also

References