Isak Penttala

Finnish politician (1883–1955)

Isak Penttala
Member of the Parliament of Finland
In office
4 March 1927 – 20 July 1951
Preceded byKaarlo Saari
ConstituencyVaasa Province South
Personal details
Born(1883-02-08)8 February 1883
Isokyrö, Russian Empire
Died28 February 1955(1955-02-28) (aged 72)
Seinäjoki, Finland
Political partySocial Democratic Party of Finland
OccupationNewspaper editor

Isak Penttala (8 February 1883 – 28 February 1955) was a Finnish newspaper editor, politician and member of the Parliament of Finland, the national legislature of Finland. A member of the Social Democratic Party, he represented Vaasa Province South between March 1927 and July 1951.[1] Prior to being elected, he was imprisoned for political reasons during and following the Finnish Civil War.[1]

Early life

Penttala was born on 8 February 1883 in Isokyrö in the west of the Grand Duchy of Finland.[1][2] He was the son of crofter Juho Penttala and Maria Holkko.[1] He studied at public school, Work People's College in Duluth, Minnesota (1911-1912) and Social Democratic Party (SDP) college in Helsinki (1913).[1][2]

As a teenager Penttala migrated to the USA where he held various jobs between 1902 and 1913: in an iron factory, in a sawmill, in a coal mine, as a fisherman, as a writer for the Toveri magazine and as an agent for the magazine in the western states.[1][3]

Politics

Penttala was the secretary of the Vaasa Province South branch of the SDP from 1916 to 1917.[1][2] He was amongst tens of thousands of leftists who were imprisoned in concentration camps for political reasons by the Whites during and following the Finnish Civil War.[1] Penttala was arrested by the Whites in February 1918 and after interrogation had been recommended for release by Inspector I. W. Markus but the White prosecutors refused.[4][5] Eventually, after he was produced before the courts, he was released by the state criminal court in Vaasa on 28 November 1918.[6] Following his release, he served as editor of several SDP newspapers: Työläinen (Vaasa, 1919), Kansan Lehti (Tampere, 1920), Raivaaja (Vaasa, 1921, 1924–1926), Vapaus (Mikkeli, 1924) and Pohjanmaan Kansa (Vaasa, 1931).[1][2] He was a farmer in Isossakyrö from 1920 to 1924.[1]

Penttala was appointed to the Parliament of Finland in March 1927 following the death of Kaarlo Saari.[7][8] He was re-elected at the 1927, 1929, 1930, 1933, 1936, 1939, 1945, and 1948 parliamentary elections.[9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] He was a presidential elector at the 1931, 1937, 1940 and 1943 presidential elections.[1] He was a member of the municipal councils in Isokyrö and Seinäjoki.[1][3]

Penttala died on 28 February 1955 in Seinäjoki.[1]

Personal life

Penttala married Sanna Matilda Heikkilä in 1918.[1]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Kansanedustajat: Isak Penttala" (in Finnish). Helsinki, Finland: Parliament of Finland. Archived from the original on 11 June 2011.
  2. ^ a b c d "Isak Penttala 50-vuotias". Kansan Lehti (in Finnish). No. 32. Tampere, Finland. 8 February 1933. p. 5. Retrieved 21 January 2024 – via National Library of Finland.
  3. ^ a b "Isak Penttala 50-vuotias". Työn Voima (in Finnish). No. 32. Jyväskylä, Finland. 8 February 1933. p. 1. Retrieved 21 January 2024 – via National Library of Finland.
  4. ^ "Syytteestä wapantettu". Suomen Sosialidemokraatti (in Finnish). No. 50. Helsinki, Finland. 4 December 1918. p. 5. Retrieved 21 January 2024 – via National Library of Finland.
  5. ^ "Lähetettyjä". Suomen Sosialidemokraatti (in Finnish). No. 12. Helsinki, Finland. 28 September 1918. p. 4. Retrieved 21 January 2024 – via National Library of Finland.
  6. ^ "Valtiorikesjuttuja". Vaasa (in Finnish). No. 242. Vaasa, Finland. 29 November 1918. p. 1. Retrieved 21 January 2024 – via National Library of Finland.
  7. ^ "Uusi edustaja sos.-dem. edustaja K. Saaren tilalle". Suomen Sosialidemokraatti (in Finnish). No. 53. Helsinki, Finland. 5 March 1927. p. 10. Retrieved 21 January 2024 – via National Library of Finland.
  8. ^ "Ny riksdagsman inträder I församlingen". Arbetarbladet (in Swedish). No. 28. Helsinki, Finland. 7 March 1927. p. 1. Retrieved 21 January 2024 – via National Library of Finland.
  9. ^ "Uusi eduskunta". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). No. 185. Helsinki, Finland. 13 July 1927. p. 2. Retrieved 21 January 2024 – via National Library of Finland.
  10. ^ "Uuden eduskunnan kokoonpano on nyt saatu määrätyksi". Suomen Sosialidemokraatti (in Finnish). No. 185. Helsinki, Finland. 12 July 1929. p. 4. Retrieved 21 January 2024 – via National Library of Finland.
  11. ^ "Uuden eduskunnan kokoonpano". Turun Sanomat (in Finnish). No. 274. Turku, Finland. 11 October 1930. p. 4. Retrieved 21 January 2024 – via National Library of Finland.
  12. ^ "Uuden eduskunnan kokoonpano". Lapin Kansa (in Finnish). No. 75. Rovaniemi, Finland. 13 July 1933. p. 3. Retrieved 21 January 2024 – via National Library of Finland.
  13. ^ "Uuden eduskunnan kokoonpano". Ylä-Vuoksi (in Finnish). No. 53. Imatra, Finland. 11 July 1936. p. 2. Retrieved 21 January 2024 – via National Library of Finland.
  14. ^ "Uuden eduskunnan kokoonpano". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). No. 179. Helsinki, Finland. 8 July 1939. p. 2. Retrieved 21 January 2024 – via National Library of Finland.
  15. ^ "De nya riksdagsmännen". Hufvudstadsbladet (in Swedish). No. 79. Helsinki, Finland. 22 March 1945. p. 7. Retrieved 21 January 2024 – via National Library of Finland.
  16. ^ "Nitton svenskar i nya riksdagen". Västra Nyland (in Swedish). No. 152. Ekenäs, Finland. 8 July 1948. pp. 1–4. Retrieved 21 January 2024 – via National Library of Finland.