Eirik Hornborg

Eirik Hornborg (1920s)

Eirik Mikael Hornborg (29 September 1879 – 29 December 1965) was a Finnish historian, educator, writer and politician, born in Helsinki. He was a member of the Parliament of Finland from 1916 to 1922 and from 1924 to 1927, representing the Swedish People's Party of Finland (SFP). During World War I, Hornborg was a prominent member of the secret network known as the Jäger movement, which was seeking to achieve Finnish independence with the support of the German Empire. In 1916, he travelled clandestinely to Germany and joined the 27th Jäger Battalion on 11 July 1916, shortly after he had been elected as a Member of Parliament in the 1916 Finnish parliamentary election. In the autumn of 1916, he participated in battles against the Imperial Russian Army on the Courland front. After the February Revolution of 1917, he was able to return to Finland and to take up his duties as a Member of Parliament. After the outbreak of the Finnish Civil War in January 1918, he went into hiding in Helsinki, which was controlled by the Red side, and worked as one of the most important organizers of the clandestine White movement in the city. During the Continuation War of 1941–1944, Hornborg belonged to the Peace opposition, which was seeking to promote a separate peace with the Allies, which eventually was achieved in September 1944.