Oskari Tokoi

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Antti Oskari Tokoi (May 15, 1873 – April 4, 1963) was a Finnish socialist politician and the first Social Democratic leader to head the Finnish government, serving as Chairman of the Senate in 1917. He played a key role in the socialist government during the 1918 Civil War and later lived in exile in the United States, where he edited the Finnish-language Raivaaja newspaper.

Early life
Tokoi was born Antti Oskari Hirvi in Kannus, in the Grand Duchy of Finland. His family adopted the surname Tokoi from a farm. After his father died, he left home as a teenager and moved to America in 1891. He worked in coal mines in several states and joined the Western Federation of Miners. He returned to Finland in 1900 and became active in politics.

Politics
Tokoi joined the Social Democratic Party, was elected to parliament in 1907, and led the Finnish Trade Union Federation from 1912 to 1917. He became speaker of the Eduskunta in 1913 and head of the Senate in 1917.

Civil War and exile
In 1918 he helped lead the socialist side during the Finnish Civil War. After the war, he fled Finland and lived in Russia, then Britain and Canada, before returning to the United States in 1921. He worked as editor of Raivaaja in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, and was briefly targeted for deportation but allowed to stay.

Later life
Tokoi supported Finland during World War II. In 1944 the Finnish Parliament cleared him of Civil War charges. He helped Finnish-Americans after the war and visited Finland several times. He died in Leominster, Massachusetts, in 1963 and was buried in Fitchburg.

Notes
Tokoi’s career included leading roles in politics and unions, a period of exile, and lifelong work to support Finnish people both in Finland and abroad.