Ester Ståhlberg, née Elfving (February 17, 1870 – July 21, 1950) was a Finnish writer and educator and the first First Lady of Finland. She was the wife of president

Kaarlo Juho Ståhlberg Kaarlo Juho Ståhlberg ( , ; 28 January 1865 – 22 September 1952) was a Finnish jurist and academic who was one of the most important pioneers of republicanism in the country. He was the first president of Finland (1919–1925) and a liberal ...

. The daughter of Karl Oskar Elfving, mayor, and Jenny Nyman, she was born Ester Elfving in

Vaasa Vaasa (; , ), formerly (1855-1917) known as Nikolaistad (; ),Oulu Oulu ( , ; ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of North Ostrobothnia. It is located on the northwestern coast of the country at the mouth of the Oulujoki, River Oulu. The population of Oulu is approximately , while the Oulu sub-regio ...

and then continued with post-graduate studies in

Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...

. For a time, she taught Swedish. After the death of her first husband in 1917, she was named to the child welfare department of the Finnish Ministry of Social Affairs. From 1912 to 1919, Ståhlberg served on the editorial board of ''Valvoja'' magazine. She was editor of ''Aamu'' magazine from 1926 to 1931. She also published novels and biographies, including a biography of Mathilda Wrede. In 1922, she founded ''Koteja kodittomille lapsille'' ("Home for Homeless Children"), later known as ''Pelastakaa Lapset'' ("

Save the Children The Save the Children Fund, commonly known as Save the Children, is an international non-governmental organization. It was founded in the UK in 1919; its goal is to improve the lives of children worldwide. The organization raises money to imp ...

"). Ståhlberg was married twice: first to Karl Hällström, a pharmacist, who died in 1917. In 1920, she married the widower

, during his term as the first

President of Finland The president of the Republic of Finland (; ) is the head of state of Finland. The incumbent president is Alexander Stubb, since 1 March 2024. He was elected president for the first time in 2024 Finnish presidential election, 2024. The presi ...

. She died in Helsinki.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stahlberg, Ester 1870 births 1950 deaths Finnish women writers Finnish women journalists First ladies and gentlemen of Finland