Alexander Järnefelt, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

    

Alexander Järnefelt

Finnish general

Date of Birth: 02-Apr-1833

Place of Birth: Tohmajärvi, Eastern Finland Regional State Administrative Agency, Finland

Date of Death: 15-Apr-1897

Profession: military personnel, politician, cartographer

Zodiac Sign: Aries


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About Alexander Järnefelt

  • August Alexander Järnefelt (2 April 1833 – 15 April 1896) was a Finnish general, topographist, governor and senator. Aleksander Järnefelt was born in Tohmajärvi, the son of crown overseer Gustav Adolf Järnefelt and Aurora Fredrika Molander.
  • Aleksander married Elisabeth Clodt von Jürgensburg on 22 December 1857 in Saint Petersburg.
  • Their children were Kasper, Arvid, Erik, Ellida, Ellen, Armas, Aino, Hilja and Sigrid.
  • Armas, Arvid and Eero were famous Finnish cultural figures.
  • Aino Järnefelt was married to composer Jean Sibelius. After seven year's study in Hamina Cadet School, Järnefelt embarked on a career as an artillery officer in the Russian Army.
  • After working under Wilhelm von Struve at Pulkovo Observatory, Järnefelt was commanded to topographic works in his native Finland which formed his main occupation for decades.
  • By 1870, he was the head if the Russian topographic corps in Finland. During and after the Turkish war (1877–1879), Järnefelt lead the topographic survey of many areas which Russia conquered from Turkey.
  • These works, on which he also wrote a German-language scientific treatise Die astronomischen, geodätischen und topographischen Arbeiten auf der Balkanhalbinsel in der Jahren 1877, 1878 und 1879, earned him a promotion to general major. Politically, Järnefelt was a fennoman of the Old Finnish Party.
  • The party strove for the equal rights of Finnish language with the Swedish while stressing the importance of loyalty to the Emperor.
  • Järnefelt took these aims seriously, sending his children to Finnish-speaking schools which was extraordinary for a nobleman of his time. In 1880's, Järnefelt was transferred from the military to a civilian administrative career, which allowed him to further his political agenda.
  • Järnefelt was the governor of Mikkeli Province in the 1883–84, the governor of Kuopio Province in 1884–88 and Vaasa Province in 1888–94.
  • During these tenures, Järnefelt used his gubernatorial powers to change the language of civil administration of these provinces to Finnish (in the bilingual Vaasa Province, to bilingualism).
  • In addition, he strove to establish primary schools and poor-houses in his provinces.
  • Järnefelt's career culminated in the membership of the Senate of Finland, where Järnefelt was tasked as the chief of the military affair's section.
  • The promotion to senator was accompanied with promotion to the rank of a lieutenant general.
  • Järnefelt died at Helsinki on 15 April 1896, of paralysis.

Read more at Wikipedia

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