Carl Björkman (15 February 1873 – 5 September 1948) was a politician in

Åland Åland ( , ; ) is an Federacy, autonomous and Demilitarized zone, demilitarised region of Finland. Receiving its autonomy by a 1920 decision of the League of Nations, it is the smallest region of Finland by both area () and population (30,54 ...

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

. He was born in

Turku Turku ( ; ; , ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Southwest Finland. It is located on the southwestern coast of the country at the mouth of the Aura River (Finland), River Aura. The population of Turku is approximately , while t ...

and was the first

premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of govern ...

of the

Government of Åland The Government of Åland () is the executive authority of Åland, an autonomous region of Finland. It is led by the Premier of Åland (), who is elected by the Parliament of Åland (). Åland Premiers * Carl Björkman (politician), Carl Björ ...

. Carl Björkman was along with Julius Sundblom the most prominent figure of the Åland movement for reunion with Sweden. Following

declaration of independence A declaration of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another state or failed state, or are breaka ...

in 1917, Björkman became one of the leading proponents of returning Åland to Sweden, which resulted in the

Åland Crisis Åland ( , ; ) is an Federacy, autonomous and Demilitarized zone, demilitarised region of Finland. Receiving its autonomy by a 1920 decision of the League of Nations, it is the smallest region of Finland by both area () and population (30,54 ...

. Before the resolution of the crisis, Björkman, along with Julius Sundblom, was arrested by Finnish police and spent a few days in prison, accused of

treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state (polity), state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to Coup d'état, overthrow its government, spy ...

. In 1922, Björkman became the first

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of govern ...

(swe: '' Lantråd'') of ''Landskapsstyrelsen'' (later called '' Landskapsregeringen''), the executive branch of the Åland government, which had been instituted in accordance with the Finnish Autonomy Act of 1920 as part of the solution to the Åland Crisis. He would serve as lantråd until 1938.

References

1873 births 1948 deaths Politicians from Turku Politicians from Turku and Pori Province (Grand Duchy of Finland) Swedish-speaking Finns Premiers of Åland {{Åland-bio-stub