Tekla Hultin

Tekla Hultin
Member of the Finnish Parliament for Western Electoral District of Viipuri Province
In office 1908–1924
Member of the Helsinki City Council
In office 1925–1930
Personal details
Born	18 April 1864 Jaakkima (modern-day Russia)
Died	31 March 1943 Helsinki, Finland
Political party	Young Finnish Party National Coalition Party
Occupation	journalist
Known for	co-founder of the Young Finnish Party first leader of the Finnish Women's Union

Thekla (Tekla) Johanna Virginia Hultin (18 April 1864 – 31 March 1943 in Helsinki) was a Finnish journalist, politician and feminist. She was the second woman to receive a doctorate in Finland, and the first to be awarded a Ph.D.

Biography

Tekla Hultin was born in Jaakkima (modern-day Russia) to a family of five children. She attended school in Sortavala and later to a private girls school in Viipuri. She studied in Helsinki and became a teacher in 1885.

In 1886, Hultin began her university studies. She studied (among others) literature, art history and psychology, but specialized in history. In spring 1891, she received her Master's degree and became a journalist with the Helsinki newspaper Dagbladet.

In 1896, Hultin defended her history thesis. She then focused her efforts on political action. She published books for Suomalaisuuden herätys and wrote (among others) the biography of Leo Mechelin. In 1901, Hultin was named the second actuary for Statistics Finland's main office.

In her journal, Hultin described historical events of the era and the general feeling of the Finnish public on the events. The victory of the Japanese over the Russians in the Russo-Japanese War laid the foundation for protests, riots and the 1905 general strike in Finland against Russian occupation.

Political life

Hultin was one of the founders of the Young Finnish Party and became a journalist for Päivälehti, the official newspaper of the party (1893–1901) and in 1900 for Isänmaan Ystävä. As the first leader of the Finnish Women's Union, Hultin worked with Leo Mechelin to ensure Women's suffrage in Finland.

Hultin served as a Member of Parliament for the Western Electoral District of Viipuri Province from 1908 to 1924. She originally represented the Young Finnish Party and later joined the National Coalition Party when the former dissolved. After her time in parliament, Hultin served on the Helsinki City Council from 1925–1930.

Publications

Books

• Historiska upplysningar om bergshandteringen i Finland under svenska tiden. 1, Jernbruken (in Finnish). University of Helsinki. 1896. p. 247.
• Historiska upplysningar om bergshandteringen i Finland under svenska tiden. 2 (in Finnish). 1897.
• Leo Mechelin, en konturteckning (in Finnish). 1900.
• Mikä on perustuslaki?, vuoropuhelua lautamiehen tuvassa, Tekla Johanna Virginia Hultin ; kirj. T. H. – Erkko Johan Henrik. 15 s., Otava, 1899.
• Mistä on kysymys?, 22 s., Nuorsuomalaisen puolueen kanslia, 1909.
• Naisasia Pienpainateaineisto, 1810–1944.
• Perustuslaillinen hallitus ja suomettarelainen hallitus, esitelmä pidetty nuorsuomalaisten kokouksissa syksyllä 1906, 24 s., 1906.
• Päiväkirjani kertoo (in Finnish). Vol. 1, 1899–1914. Kustannusoy, Sanatar. 1935. p. 507.
• Päiväkirjani kertoo (in Finnish). Vol. 2, 1914–1918. Sanatar. 1938. p. 400.
• Suomen asema Venäjän valtakunnassa. 19 s., WSOY,1908 Suomalaisen naisliiton kirjasia; 3
• Taistelun mies, piirteitä Jonas Castrénin elämästä ja toiminnasta, muistojulkaisu (in Finnish). Otava. 1927. p. 181.
• Undersökning rörande nattarbeterskorna i Finlands industrier ; på uppdrag af Kejserliga Senaten och under dess öfverinseende värkstäld. X, 85, 49 s. s., Edlundska Bokhandeln, 1911. Arbetsstatistik; XI
• Vielä kerran suomettarelainen hallitus, vastaus sen nimettömälle asianajajalle. 32., Nuorsuomalaisen puolueen kanslia, 1907.
• Yötyöntekijättäret Suomen teollisuudessa, tutkimus Keisarillisen Suomen Senaatin määräyksestä ja Teollisuushallituksen ylivalvonnan alaisena. X, 85, 49 s. 1911. Työtilastoa; 11

Translations

• Gustaf Alexander Cygnæus: K. Suomen talousseura 1797–1897, toimikunnan toimesta kuvailtu. Suomennoksen suoritti Tekla Hultin. 1897.
• Tekla Hultin, ed. (1892). Suomalaisuuden herätys, lausuntoja suomalaisuuden asiassa ennen Saima-lehden ilmestymistä (in Finnish). Otava.
• Suomen matkailija-yhdistys: Vuoksi, lyhyitä neuvoja Vuoksen-retkiä varten Imatralta Käkisalmeen ynnä kartta. Toim. Aug. Ramsay; suom. Tekla Hultin. Wasenius’en kirjakauppa, 1892.
• Ukko-Pekka, kansan mies, tammikuun 5 p:nä 1937. Toim. Erkki Räikkönen, E. A. Fabritius, Tekla Hultin. Sanatar, 1937.
• Pierre Paul Leroy-Beaulieu (1891). Yleisen kansantalouden pääpiirteet (in Finnish). Translated by Tekla Hultin. WSOY.