Taneli Kaleva Kekkonen (4 September 1928 – 11 July 1985) was a Finnish diplomat and one of the twin sons of president

Urho Kekkonen Urho Kaleva Kekkonen (; 3 September 1900 – 31 August 1986), often referred to by his initials UKK, was a Finnish politician who served as the eighth and longest-serving president of Finland from 1956 to 1982. He also served as Prime Minister ...

and author

Sylvi Kekkonen Sylvi Kekkonen ( Uino; 12 March 1900 — 2 December 1974) was a Finnish writer and the longest-serving First Lady of Finland. Personal life and family Sylvi Uino was born to a middle-class family, as the fourth child of a chaplain (later vicar) ...

. Taneli Kekkonen was married since 1952 to K. A Fagerholm's daughter Brita Fagerholm (1927–2013) and had two children Timo Kekkonen (born 1957) and Tea Kekkonen (born 1963). Taneli Kekkonen was a Bachelor of Political Science and worked at the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...

since 1952. During his career Kekkonen served as Ambassador in

Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

from 1975 to 1980,

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

from 1980 to 1984 and last in

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...

from 1984 to 1985. When Kekkonen was caught on

drunk driving Drunk driving (or drink-driving in British English) is the act of driving under the influence of alcohol. A small increase in the blood alcohol content increases the relative risk of a motor vehicle crash. In the United States, alcohol is invo ...

in the early 1980s, the Foreign Ministry invited him home from Tel Aviv. Kekkonen was deeply depressed and told his wife Brita that he is going to

commit suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and subs ...

. His wife asked him to wait for at least a year. That year, Kekkonen sat in his office at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs during office hours and no assignments were assigned to him. On 11 July 1985 Taneli Kekkonen committed suicide by hanging.Virpi Suutari
Brita ja Timo Kekkonen
''

Helsingin Sanomat ''Helsingin Sanomat'', abbreviated ''HS'' and colloquially known as , is the largest subscription newspaper in Finland and the Nordic countries, owned by Sanoma. Except after certain holidays, it is published daily. Its name derives from that of ...

'' 3 August 2008.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kekkonen, Taneli 1928 births 1985 deaths 1985 suicides Suicides by hanging in Finland Ambassadors of Finland to Yugoslavia Ambassadors of Finland to Israel Ambassadors of Finland to Greece Diplomats from Helsinki Ambassadors of Finland to Italy Ambassadors of Finland to Malta Ambassadors of Finland to Poland Children of national leaders Finnish twins