Finnish lawyer and politician, 11th President of Finland

Tarja Halonen

Tarja Kaarina Halonen is a Finnish politician who served as the president of Finland, and the first and to date only woman to hold the position in Finland, from 2000 to 2012. She first rose to prominence as a lawyer with the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK), and as the prime minister's parliamentary secretary (1974–1975) and a member of the City Council of Helsinki (1977–1996). Halonen was a Social Democratic Party member of parliament from 1979 until her election to the presidency in 2000. She also served as a minister at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health from 1987 to 1990, as Minister of Justice from 1990 to 1991, and as Minister for Foreign Affairs from 1995 to 2000.

Born

1943

December 24

Died

Living

Era

1940s

Country

—

About

Tarja, in brief

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Life timeline

Key dates

1943 Born

Also on December 24

What else happened on this day, through history

502 Chinese emperor Xiao Yan names Xiao Tong his heir designate.
640 Pope John IV is elected, several months after his predecessor's death.
759 Tang dynasty poet Du Fu departs for Chengdu, where he is hosted by fellow poet Pei Di.
971 Battle of Ayn Shams: The Fatimids under Jawhar defeat the Qarmatians at the gates of Cairo, putting an end to the First Qarmatian invasion of Egypt.

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The world in 1943

When Tarja arrived

april 13 World War II: The discovery of mass graves of Polish prisoners of war killed by Soviet forces in the Katyń Forest Massacre is announced, causing a diplomatic rift between the Polish government-in-exile in London and the Soviet Union, which denies responsibility.
april 13 The Jefferson Memorial is dedicated in Washington, D.C., on the 200th anniversary of President Thomas Jefferson's birth.
april 16 Albert Hofmann accidentally discovers the hallucinogenic effects of the research drug LSD. He intentionally takes the drug three days later on April 19.
april 18 World War II: Operation Vengeance, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto is killed when his aircraft is shot down by U.S. fighters over Bougainville Island.

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Same-day contemporaries

Also born on December 24

Dave Bartholomew 1918– American bandleader, composer and arranger (died 2019) Joseph Cornell 1903–1972 American sculptor and director (died 1972) Ricky Martin 1971– Puerto Rican singer-songwriter and actor

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Same-year contemporaries

Also born in 1943

Albano Carrisi 1943– Italian singer, actor, and winemaker Blythe Danner 1943– American actress Burt Rutan 1943– American engineer and pilot Davey Johnson 1943– American baseball player and manager (died 2025) Eddie Low 1943–2024 New Zealand country singer and musician (died 2024) Emerson Boozer 1943– American football player and sportscaster Florence Ballard 1943–1976 American singer (born 1943) Gamini Lokuge 1943– Sri Lankan politician (died 2025) Gary Wright 1943– American singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer (died 2023)

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Keep going

More to explore

Tarja's birthday December 24 Tarja's zodiac Capricorn When Tarja arrived 1943