Maria Raunio

Raunio was born in Keuruu in 1872.^[1] She worked as a seamstress in Keuruu and Tampere, before joining the office of the Kansan Lehti newspaper.^[1] She had seven children.^[2]

Raunio contested the 1907 elections on the Social Democratic Party's list in East Vaasa and was one of 19 women elected to parliament. She was re-elected in 1908 and 1909. However, she lost her seat in the 1910 elections after being removed from the party's lists due to differences with party officials.^[2] During her time in parliament she sat on the Audit Committee, the Education Committee, the Grand Committee and the Pensions Committee.^[1]

After leaving parliament, she moved to the United States, where she was an activist for workers' rights before committing suicide aged 39 in 1911.^[1][2]