Ester Ståhlberg
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.
Ester Ståhlberg | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | February 17, 1870 Vaasa, Finland |
| Died | July 21, 1950 (aged 80) Helsinki, Finland |
The daughter of Karl Oskar Elfving, mayor, and Jenny Nyman, she was born Ester Elfving[1] in Vaasa, went on to study in Oulu[2] and then continued with post-graduate studies in Helsinki. For a time, she taught Swedish.[3]
After the death of her first husband in 1917, she was named to the child welfare department of the Finnish Ministry of Social Affairs.[3]
From 1912 to 1919, Ståhlberg served on the editorial board of Valvoja magazine. She was editor of Aamu magazine from 1926 to 1931.[3]
She also published novels and biographies, including a biography of Mathilda Wrede.[4]
In 1922, she founded Koteja kodittomille lapsille ("Home for Homeless Children"), later known as Pelastakaa Lapset ("Save the Children").[4]
Ståhlberg was married twice: first to Karl Hällström, a pharmacist, who died in 1917. In 1920, she married the widower Kaarlo Juho Ståhlberg, during his term as the first President of Finland.[2]
She died in Helsinki.[3]
References
- "Ståhlberg, Kaarlo Juho (1865 - 1952)". National Biography of Finland.
- "Ester Ståhlbergin uusperhe-elämä ei ollut pelkkää onnea: "Ei voi olla mitään raskaampaa kuin pitkittynyt pakkotila minua ylenkatsovien lasten kanssa"". Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish). May 11, 2017.
- "Ester Ståhlberg - kirjailija, lastensuojelun edistäjä". Naisten Ääni -hanke (in Finnish).
- "Ståhlberg, Ester" (in Finnish). Helsingin Suomalainen Klubi.