Maria Raunio
Finnish educator and politician
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Maria Raunio (26 May 1872 – 3 September 1911) was a Finnish educator and politician. A member of the Social Democratic Party, she was elected to Parliament in 1907 as one of the first group of female MPs. She remained an MP until 1910.
Maria Raunio | |
|---|---|
| Member of Parliament | |
| In office 1907–1910 | |
| Constituency | East Vaasa |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 26 May 1872 |
| Died | 3 September 1911 (aged 39) |
| Party | Social Democratic Party |
Biography
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]
