About Matti Turkia
Matti Turkia (26 February 1871 – 10 January 1946) was a Finnish newspaper editor, politician and member of the Parliament of Finland, the national legislature of Finland. A member of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), he represented Uusimaa Province between October 1930 and April 1945. He had previously represented Viipuri Province West from May 1907 to May 1909 and from February 1914 to April 1917. He was secretary of the SDP from 1906 to 1918. Turkia was a member of the revolutionary Finnish People's Delegation during the Finnish Civil War in 1918. Following the Red defeat, he lived in exile in Soviet Russia and Sweden. He returned to Finland in 1927 and was imprisoned before receiving a presidential pardon. Turkia became attracted to socialism after witnessing the poor working conditions at the Halla sawmill. Turkia became a supporter of the temperance movement after witnessing the effects of alcohol on workers.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.