Alli Paasikivi

Finnish benefactor and second wife of president Juho Kusti Paasikivi (1879–1960)

Juho Kusti Paasikivi

(m. 1934; died 1956)

Alli Paasikivi (née Valve, previously Hildén; 19 December 1879 – 13 June 1960) was the second wife of Finland's seventh president, Juho Kusti Paasikivi, serving as the First Lady of Finland from 1946 until 1956.^[1]

In her early 20s, Alli Valve worked as an actor at the Finnish National Theatre, before switching to a banking career.^[1] It was while working at the KOP bank that she met her future husband, working as a manager at the same bank; the couple got married in 1934.^[1]

As the First Lady, Alli Paasikivi took an active role in mediating between her husband and other politicians and peer groups, and is known to have acted as a private secretary to him, taking phone calls and opening incoming correspondence, to some extent even deciding which matters to put before the president.^[2]^[1]

She was also actively involved in many social welfare and charitable initiatives, especially in the areas of families, children, and the disabled.^[3] She served as the honorary chairwoman and patron of the charitable Alli Paasikivi Foundation from its foundation in 1952 until her death.^[4]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Paasikivi, Alli". Uppslagsverket.fi (in Swedish). Retrieved 9 October 2022.
^ "Paasikivi, Alli". Kansallisbiografia.fi (in Finnish). National Biography of Finland. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
^ "Presidentinrouva Alli Paasikivi kuollut". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). 14 July 1960. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
^ "History of the Foundation". Alli Paasikivi Foundation. Retrieved 9 October 2022.