- Alfred Kordelin
Alfred Kordelin (b.
November 6 ,1868 , Rauma - d.November 7 , 1917,Lammi ) was a Finnish entrepreneur. Kordelin was one of the best-known Finnish entrepreneurs of his time.Kordelin had little formal education. He was the son of a poor seaman from Rauma. Kordelin invested shrewdly in the fields of weaving, shipbuilding and metalworking, becoming one of Finland's richest men.
Risto Ryti , who later becamePresident of Finland , was Alfred Kordelin's legal advisor and close friend.Kordelin owned the
Mommila andJokioinen manor houses and a steammill inReposaari . He invested a large amount of money in different companies. He built a summerhouse inNaantali , calledKultaranta . Kultaranta is currently owned by theGovernment of Finland , and used as the President's summer residence. Kordelin himself spent only one summer at Kultaranta. On the 7th of November, 1917, aRussia ncossack shot Kordelin dead in the so-called Mommila skirmish.Kordelin had no wife or children so he bequeathed all his property to a Finnish cultural foundation. With his money the
Alfred Kordelin Foundation was later founded. The foundation gives out several million euros in grants and awards annually in promotion of literature, science, art, and public education in Finland.
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