Sakari Tuomioja

Who was Sakari Tuomioja?

Sakari Severi Tuomioja was a Finnish politician, diplomat, Prime Minister of Finland during the caretaker government which was formed in 1953. Tuomioja was also the Finnish ambassador to Sweden and to the UK and once the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Sakari Tuomioja was born in Tampere. He married Vappu Illike Tuomioja, daughter of Estonian-born writer Hella Wuolijoki. They had two children, Tuuli and Erkki. During the Continuation War, Tuomioja joined the so-called Peace opposition. After the war, his faction lost the power struggle within the Edistyspuolue, and Tuomioja's supporters were invited to join the pro-communist umbrella organisation Finnish People's Democratic League, an offer, which was rejected.

Later, Sakari Tuomioja was a UN agent at the Cyprus dispute in 1963. Before Cyprus, Tuomioja was United Nations Economic Commission for Europe's general secretary from 1957 to 1960. Tuomioja was the presidential candidate of the National Coalition Party and liberals at the 1956 elections. Tuomioja was the first Finn to be a member of the Bilderberg group. He died, aged 53, in Helsinki.