Johannes Virolainen

Born Jan. 31, 1914, in Lohja, Eastern Finland. Finnish statesman and politician.

In 1938, Virolainen graduated from the University of Helsinki, and in 1951 he received a doctorate in agriculture and forestry. Since 1932 he has been a member of the Agrarian Union (Center Party since 1965). From 1942 to 1944 he was chief of the chancellery of the Commission for the Administration of Recovered Territories, and from 1944 to 1948 he was chief of the resettlement department of the Finnish Ministry of the Interior. He was chairman of the youth organization of the Agrarian Union during 1945-54, a member of the union’s Central Board since 1946 (with interruptions), and party chairman from 1964. Virolainen has been a deputy to parliament since 1945 and was its chairman in 1962-64, minister of the interior in 1950-51, minister of education in 1953-54, minister of foreign affairs in 1954-56 and 1957-58, and minister of agriculture in 1962. He was prime minister during 1964-66. He has been chairman of the Finnish group of the Interparliamentary Union since 1962 and a member of its council and executive committee since 1967. Virolainen is chairman of the Administrative Council of the Central Union of Joint-stock Funds in Finland.