Johan Wilhelm (Jukka) Rangell (25 October 1894 – 12 March 1982) was the

Prime Minister of Finland The prime minister of Finland ( fi, Suomen pääministeri; ) is the leader of the Finnish Government. The prime minister and their cabinet exercise executive authority in the state. The prime minister is formally Finnish order of precedence, r ...

from 1941 to 1943. Educated as a lawyer, he was a close acquaintance of President

Risto Ryti Risto Heikki Ryti (; 3 February 1889 – 25 October 1956) served as the fifth president of Finland from 1940 to 1944. Ryti started his career as a politician in the field of economics and as a political background figure during the interwar perio ...

before the war, and made his initial career as a banker in the Bank of Finland.Sakari Virkkunen, ''Myrskyajan presidentti Ryti'', Otava, Keuruu, 1985, pp. 68–70. He played a role in the efforts at a 1940 Summer Olympics in Helsinki after the

International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...

(IOC) retracted the original choice of Tokyo. After the resignation of President

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 ...

during the

Interim Peace The Interim Peace ( fi, Välirauha, sv, Mellanfreden) was a short period in the history of Finland during the Second World War. The term is used for the time between the Winter War and the Continuation War, lasting a little over 15 months, from 1 ...

, Risto Ryti was elected by the Electoral College as the new president of Finland on December 19, 1940, and Rangell rose to the position of Prime Minister. In office, Rangell's expertise and influence dealt mainly with economic issues, while more important foreign policy power rested on Commander-in-Chief

Mannerheim Baron Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim (, ; 4 June 1867 – 27 January 1951) was a Finnish military leader and statesman. He served as the military leader of the Whites in the Finnish Civil War of 1918, as Regent of Finland (1918–1919), as comm ...

, President Ryti and Foreign Minister Witting. Due to his connections to the IOC following the

Berlin Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (German: ''Olympische Sommerspiele 1936''), officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad (German: ''Spiele der XI. Olympiade'') and commonly known as Berlin 1936 or the Nazi Olympics, were an international multi-s ...

, Rangell's political orientation was seen as pro-German. Rangell's cabinet's belligerent actions in the

Continuation War The Continuation War, also known as the Second Soviet-Finnish War, was a conflict fought by Finland and Nazi Germany against the Soviet Union from 1941 to 1944, as part of World War II.; sv, fortsättningskriget; german: Fortsetzungskrieg. A ...

enjoyed the support of the Parliament. He defended the occupation of East Karelia and the regaining of the areas ceded in the Peace of Moscow.Finland in the Second World War: Between Germany and Russia By Olli Vehviläinen, Gerard McAlester, pgs 85, 102, and 104
/ref> During

Reichsführer-SS (, ) was a special title and rank that existed between the years of 1925 and 1945 for the commander of the (SS). ''Reichsführer-SS'' was a title from 1925 to 1933, and from 1934 to 1945 it was the highest rank of the SS. The longest-servi ...

Heinrich Himmler Heinrich Luitpold Himmler (; 7 October 1900 – 23 May 1945) was of the (Protection Squadron; SS), and a leading member of the Nazi Party of Germany. Himmler was one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germany and a main architect of th ...

's state visit to Finland in August 1942, Rangell silenced Himmler's questions concerning the Jewish minority of Finland by famously stating: "''Wir haben keine Judenfrage''" ("We do not have a

Jewish question The Jewish question, also referred to as the Jewish problem, was a wide-ranging debate in 19th- and 20th-century European society that pertained to the appropriate status and treatment of Jews. The debate, which was similar to other " national ...

"). He served as the Governor of the Bank of Finland from 1943 to 1944. In the

war-responsibility trials The war-responsibility trials in Finland ( fi, Sotasyyllisyysoikeudenkäynti, sv, Krigsansvarighetsprocessen) were trials of the Finland, Finnish wartime leaders held responsible for "definitely influencing Finland in getting into a war with the ...

, Rangell was convicted for 6 years of prison in February 1946 for alleged

crimes against peace A crime of aggression or crime against peace is the planning, initiation, or execution of a large-scale and serious act of aggression using state military force. The definition and scope of the crime is controversial. The Rome Statute contains an ...

. He was pardoned in 1949. After his release, Rangell did not return to politics, but continued to work for the

Finnish Olympic Committee The Finnish Olympic Committee ( fi, Suomen Olympiakomitea ry; sv, Finlands Olympiska Kommitté rf) is the national Olympic committee in Finland for the Olympic Games movement. It is a non-profit organisation that selects teams, and raises funds ...

and the IOC until 1967. He also belonged to the board of

Kansallis-Osake-Pankki Kansallis-Osake-Pankki (KOP) was a Finnish commercial bank operating from 1889 to 1995. It was created by the fennoman movement as a Finnish language alternative to the largely Swedish language bank, Suomen Yhdyspankki (''Swedish: Föreningsbank ...

bank.

Cabinets

* Rangell Cabinet

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rangell, Johan Wilhelm 1894 births 1982 deaths People from Hämeenlinna People from Häme Province (Grand Duchy of Finland) National Progressive Party (Finland) politicians Prime Ministers of Finland Finnish bankers Governors of the Bank of Finland International Olympic Committee members Finnish people of World War II Prisoners and detainees of Finland Recipients of Finnish presidential pardons University of Helsinki alumni Heads of government who were later imprisoned World War II political leaders