Editing Urho Kekkonen (section)

===Early life===
[[File:The birthplace Lepikon Torppa of the finnish president Urho Kekkonen.jpg|thumb|right|Kekkonen was born in a humble, small [[log cabin]] called ''Lepikon Torppa'' in [[Pielavesi]].]]
[[File:Kekkonen sotilaspuvussa 1917.jpg|thumb|17-year-old Kekkonen in 1917.]]
[[File:Kekkonen3.jpg|thumb|right|Young lawyer Kekkonen walking near [[Ateneum]], Helsinki, in the early 1930s]]
The son of Juho Kekkonen and Emilia Pylvänäinen, Urho Kekkonen was born at ''Lepikon Torppa'' ("the [[Lepikko torp]]"), a small cabin located in [[Pielavesi]], in the [[Northern Savonia|Savo]] region of Finland, and spent his childhood in [[Kainuu]]. His family were farmers (though not poor [[tenant farmer]]s, as some of his supporters later claimed). His father was originally a farm-hand and forestry worker who rose to become a forestry manager and stock agent at Halla Ltd. Claims made that Kekkonen's family had lived in a rudimentary farmhouse with no chimney were later proved to be false—a photograph of Kekkonen's childhood home had been retouched to remove the chimney. His school years did not go smoothly. During the [[Finnish Civil War]], Kekkonen fought for the [[White Guard (Finland)|White Guard]] ([[Kajaani]] chapter), fighting in the battles of Kuopio, [[Battle of Varkaus|Varkaus]], [[Battle of Mouhu|Mouhu]], and [[Battle of Viipuri|Viipuri]], and taking part in mop-up operations, including leading a firing squad in [[Hamina]]. He later admitted to having killed a man in battle, but wrote in his memoirs that he was randomly selected by his company commander to follow a squad escorting ten prisoners, where the squad turned out to be a firing squad, and then to give the actual order to aim and fire.<ref>[https://www.doria.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/10462/TMP.objres.1484.html?sequence=1 Lomalla Kahaanissa. Junamatka. Vappu Miipurissa. Marssi Haminaan. Paraati Helsingissä. 12.5.1918. Sodan Jälkiselvittely Ja Kotiin ]. doria.fi</ref> He had to complete further military service after the war, which he did in a car battalion from 1919 to 1920, finishing as a [[sergeant]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hs.fi/kulttuuri/art-2000004753735.html|title=Rauhan mies onnistui ylipäällikkönä|date=4 September 2010 }}</ref>

In independent Finland, Kekkonen first worked as a journalist in [[Kajaani]] then moved to Helsinki in 1921 to study law. While studying he worked for the security police [[State Police (Finland)|EK]] between 1921 and 1927, where he became acquainted with anti-communist policing. During this time he also met his future wife, [[Sylvi Kekkonen|Sylvi Salome Uino]] (12 March 1900 – 2 December 1974),<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.goodreads.com/characters/942905-sylvi-salome-kekkonen|title = Profile for Sylvi Salome Kekkonen from Kekkonen (Page 1)}}</ref> a typist at the police station. They had two sons, [[Matti Kekkonen|Matti]] (1928–2013) and [[Taneli Kekkonen|Taneli]] (1928–1985). Matti Kekkonen served as a [[Centre Party of Finland|Centre Party]] member of Parliament from 1958 to 1969, and Taneli Kekkonen worked as an ambassador in [[Belgrade]], [[Athens]], [[Rome]], [[Malta]], [[Warsaw]] and [[Tel Aviv]].

Kekkonen had a reputation as a heavy-handed, violent interrogator during his years in the security police. Conversely, he described himself as taking the role of a humane "[[good cop/bad cop|good cop]]" to balance out his older and more abusive colleagues. Some of the communists he interrogated confirmed the latter account, while others accused him of having been particularly violent. Later, as a minister in the 1950s, he is said to have visited and made peace with a communist he had "beaten up" in an interrogation in the 1920s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://seura.fi/ilmiot/mysteerit/oliko-kekkonen-kovanyrkki-vai-hyva-poliisi/|title=Oliko Urho Kekkonen kuulusteluissa paha kovanyrkki vai hyvä poliisi? Aikalaisten kertomukset UKK:sta eroavat paljon|date=8 March 2020 }}</ref><ref name="kekkonenkuulustelija" /> Explaining the contradiction of these statements, author [[:fi:Timo J. Tuikka|Timo J. Tuikka]] says Kekkonen's interrogation methods evolved over time: "He learned that the fist is not always the most efficient tool, but that booze, [[sauna]] and chatting are much better means of obtaining information." These revelatory experiences would significantly influence his career and approach to politics later on. Kekkonen eventually had to resign from the EK after criticising his superiors.<ref name="kekkonenkuulustelija">{{Cite web|url=https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-9974859|title=Kekkonen oli kovanyrkkinen kommunistien kuulustelija – myöhemmin urkki tiedot saunalla ja viinalla|date=27 December 2017 }}</ref>

In 1927 Kekkonen became a lawyer and worked for the Association of Rural Municipalities until 1932. Kekkonen took a [[Doctor of Laws]] degree in 1936 at the [[University of Helsinki]] where he was active in the [[Pohjois-Pohjalainen Osakunta]], a [[student nation]] for students from [[northern Ostrobothnia]], and editor-in-chief of the student newspaper ''[[Ylioppilaslehti]]'' in the period 1927–1928. He was also an athlete whose greatest achievement was to become the Finnish high jump champion in 1924 with a jump of {{Convert|1.85|m}}. He was best at the standing jump.