Editing Urho Kekkonen

{{Short description|Prime minister of Finland (1950-1953, 1954-1956) and President of Finland (1956-1982)}}
{{Redirect2|Kekkonen|UKK|the surname|Kekkonen (surname)|other uses|UKK (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2019}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name                = Urho Kekkonen
| image               = Urho-Kekkonen-1975 (cropped).jpg
| alt                 = Portrait of Urho Kekkonen, a middle-aged, bald, white man wearing square glasses and a morning suit.
| caption             = Kekkonen in 1975
| order               = 8th [[President of Finland]]
| term_start          = 1 March 1956
| term_end            = 27 January 1982
| primeminister       = {{collapsible list
  | title = {{nobold|''See list''}}
  | [[Karl-August Fagerholm]]
  | [[V. J. Sukselainen|Vieno Sukselainen]]
  | [[Rainer von Fieandt]]
  | [[Reino Kuuskoski]]
  | [[Martti Miettunen]]
  | [[Ahti Karjalainen]]
  | [[Johannes Virolainen]]
  | [[Rafael Paasio]]
  | [[Mauno Koivisto]]
  | [[Teuvo Aura]]
  | [[Kalevi Sorsa]]
  | [[Keijo Liinamaa]]
  }}
| predecessor         = [[Juho Kusti Paasikivi]]
| successor           = [[Mauno Koivisto]]
| order2              = [[Prime Minister of Finland]]
| term_start2         = 20 October 1954
| term_end2           = 3 March 1956
| president2          = [[Juho Kusti Paasikivi]]
| predecessor2        = [[Ralf Törngren]]
| successor2          = [[Karl-August Fagerholm]]
| order3              =
| term_start3         = 17 March 1950
| term_end3           = 17 November 1953
| president3          = [[Juho Kusti Paasikivi]]
| predecessor3        = [[Karl-August Fagerholm]]
| successor3          = [[Sakari Tuomioja]]
| birth_name          = Urho Kaleva Kekkonen
| birth_date          = {{birth date|df=y|1900|9|3}}
| birth_place         = [[Pielavesi]], Finland
| death_date          = {{death date and age|df=y|1986|8|31|1900|9|3}}
| death_place         = [[Helsinki]], Finland
| resting_place       = [[Hietaniemi Cemetery]]
| party               = [[Centre Party (Finland)|Centre]]{{efn|Known as the Agrarian League until 1965}}
| spouse              = {{marriage|[[Sylvi Kekkonen]]|1926|1974|end=died}}
| children            = [[Matti Kekkonen|Matti]], [[Taneli Kekkonen|Taneli]]
| relatives           = [[Jussi Kekkonen]] (brother)<ref name="nuori7"/>
| residence           = [[Tamminiemi]]
| alma_mater          = [[University of Helsinki]]
| occupation          = {{hlist|Lawyer|police officer|journalist|politician}}
| signature           = Signature of Urho Kekkonen.svg
| nickname            = UKK, {{lang|fi|Urkki|i=no}}
}}

'''Urho Kaleva Kekkonen''' ({{IPA|fi|ˈurho ˈkɑlevɑ ˈkekːonen|langpron|fi-Urho Kekkonen.ogg}}; 3 September 1900 – 31 August 1986), often referred to by his initials '''UKK''', was a Finnish politician who served as the eighth and longest-serving [[president of Finland]] from 1956 to 1982. He also served as [[Prime Minister of Finland|prime minister]] (1950–1953, 1954–1956), and held various other cabinet positions.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ministerikortisto |url=http://www.valtioneuvosto.fi/hakemisto/ministerikortisto/ministeritiedot.asp?nro=154 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090406193938/http://www.valtioneuvosto.fi/hakemisto/ministerikortisto/ministeritiedot.asp?nro=154 |archive-date=6 April 2009 |access-date=21 December 2008 |publisher=Valtioneuvosto}}</ref> He was the third and most recent president from the [[Centre Party (Finland)|Agrarian League/Centre Party]]. Head of state for nearly 26 years, he dominated [[Finnish politics]] for 31 years overall. Holding a large amount of power, he won his later elections with little opposition and has often been classified as an [[Autocracy|autocrat]].<ref>[https://kansallisbiografia.fi/english/person/632 Kekkonen, Urho]. ''Kansallisbiografia'' (English edition). (The section "The rise to the position of 'autocrat'")</ref>

As president, Kekkonen continued the "active neutrality" policy of his predecessor President [[Juho Kusti Paasikivi]] that came to be known as the [[Paasikivi–Kekkonen doctrine]], under which Finland was to retain its independence while maintaining good relations and extensive trade with members of both [[NATO]] and the [[Warsaw Pact]]. Critical commentators referred to this policy of appeasement pejoratively as [[Finlandization]]. He hosted the [[Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe]] in Helsinki in 1975 and was considered a potential candidate for the [[Nobel Peace Prize]] that year. He is credited by Finnish historians for his foreign and trade policies, which allowed Finland's [[market economy]] to keep pace with Western Europe even with the [[Soviet Union]] as a neighbor, and for Finland to gradually take part in the [[European integration]] process.<ref name=bio>[https://kansallisbiografia.fi/english/person/632 Kekkonen, Urho]. ''Kansallisbiografia'' (English edition).</ref> On the other hand, his perceived hunger for power, his divide-and-rule attitude in domestic politics and the lack of genuine political opposition, especially during the latter part of his presidency, significantly weakened Finnish democracy during his presidency.<ref name=bio/> After Kekkonen's presidency, the reform of the [[Constitution of Finland]] was initiated by his successors to increase the power of the [[Parliament of Finland|Parliament]] and the prime minister at the expense of the president.

Kekkonen was a member of the [[Parliament of Finland]] from 1936 until his rise to the presidency. Either prior, during or between his premierships, he served as [[Minister of Justice (Finland)|minister of justice]] (1936–37, 1944–46, 1951), [[Minister of the Interior (Finland)|minister of the interior]] (1937–39, 1950–51), [[Speaker of the Parliament of Finland|speaker of the Finnish Parliament]] (1948–50) and [[Minister of Foreign Affairs (Finland)|minister of foreign affairs]] (1952–53, 1954). In addition to his extensive political career, he was a lawyer by education, a policeman and athlete in his youth, a veteran of the [[Finnish Civil War]], and an enthusiastic writer. During [[World War II]], his anonymous reports on the war and foreign politics received a large audience in the ''[[Suomen Kuvalehti]]'' magazine.<ref name="bio" /> Even during his presidency, he wrote humorous, informal columns (''[[causerie]]'') for the same magazine, edited by his long-time friend [[Ilmari Turja]],<ref>{{cite news |title=Ilmari Turja |url=https://www.hs.fi/muistot/art-2000002623736.html |access-date=27 February 2021 |publisher=Helsingin Sanomat |date=6 January 1998 |language=fi}}</ref> under several pseudonyms.

==Biography==
===Family history===
The Kekkonens are an old [[Savonia (historical province)|Savonia]]n family. The ancestors of Urho Kekkonen most likely settled in the Savonia region before the 16th century. Although it is not known where the Kekkonens came to Savonia from, there has been speculation that they are from Karelia as people with the name were known to have lived in certain settlements of the [[Karelian Isthmus]] for centuries. Kekkonen himself thought it possible that the family might instead originate from Western Finland, for example from [[Tavastia (historical province)|Tavastia]], where there have been place names connected to their surname from as early as the 15th century. His seventh-great-grandfather Tuomas Kekkonen (born ca. 1630) is first mentioned in documents in [[Pieksämäki]] in 1673. He was probably from either [[Kangasniemi]] or [[Joroinen]].<ref name="kekkoset">Kekkonen, Urho: ''[http://www.doria.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/11645/TMP.objres.1403.html?sequence=1&isAllowed=y Kekkoset, itäsuomalainen suku]''.</ref>

Twelve generations of Urho Kekkonen's ancestors were peasants from eastern Finland. The paternal side of Kekkonen's family practised [[Slash-and-burn|slash-and-burn agriculture]] and the maternal side stayed on their own site. Kekkonen's paternal grandfather Eenokki was part of a landless group grown in the 19th century and lived on temporary work and working as a [[farmworker]].<ref name="nuori7">Uino, Ari (ed.): ''Nuori Urho: Urho Kekkosen Kajaanin-vuodet 1911–1921''. [[Otava (publisher)|Otava]] 1999. {{ISBN|951-1-15992-5}}, p. 7.</ref>

After serving in several houses Eenokki Kekkonen married Anna-Liisa Koskinen. They had four sons, named Taavetti, Johannes, Alpertti and Juho. Juho Kekkonen, the youngest son of the family, who had gone travelling from the family's home in Korvenmökki in the village of Koivujärvi, was the father of Urho Kekkonen. Aatu Pylvänäinen, Urho Kekkonen's maternal grandfather, who worked as a farmer at the Tarkkala farm in [[Kangasniemi]], married Amanda Manninen in the summer of 1878 when she was only 16 years old. Their children, three daughters and three sons, were Emilia, Elsa, Siilas, Tyyne, Eetu, and Samuel.<ref name="nuori7"/>

As the son of a poor family, Juho Kekkonen had to go to work in the forest and ended up at a log working ground in Kangasniemi in 1898. Emilia Pylvänäinen herded cattle there, on the shores of the Haahkala lands, where Juho Kekkonen worked with other loggers. The two youngsters got to know each other and they married in 1899. The couple moved to [[Otava (village)|Otava]], where Juho Kekkonen got a job at the Koivusaha sawmill of [[Halla Oy]]. He was later appointed the head of forestry work and caretaker of the logging business.<ref name="nuori7"/>

The couple moved to [[Pielavesi]] along with the working grounds, where Juho Kekkonen bought a smoke hut which he later repaired and expanded into a proper house. He built a chimney in the house shortly before the birth of his first son Urho. Because of the beautiful [[alder]]s growing behind the house, the house became known as ''Lepikon torppa'' ("[[Croft (land)|croft]] of alders"). There was a [[smoke sauna]] in the yard, where Urho Kekkonen was born on 3 September 1900.{{Citation needed|date=December 2023|reason=Citation needed that UKK was born in a savusauna.}} The family lived in Lepikon torppa for six years and Urho Kekkonen's sister Siiri was born in 1904. The family moved along with Juho Kekkonen's forestry work to [[Kuopio]] in 1906 and to [[Lapinlahti]] in 1908. The family had to live modestly but did not suffer from poverty. The youngest child of the family, [[Jussi Kekkonen|Jussi]], was born in 1910.<ref name="nuori7"/>

===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.

===Early political career===
A [[Nationalism|nationalist]] at heart, Kekkonen's ideological roots lay in the student politics of newly independent Finland and in the radicalism of the right-wing. He joined the [[Academic Karelia Society]] (''Akateeminen Karjala-Seura''), an organisation favouring Finland's annexation of [[East Karelia]], but resigned from it in 1932 along with over 100 other moderate members because of the organisation's support for the 1932 far-right [[Mäntsälä rebellion]]. According to [[Johannes Virolainen]], a longtime Agrarian and Centrist politician, some Finnish right-wingers hated and mocked Kekkonen for the decision and cast him as a power-hungry opportunist.<ref>see Johannes Virolainen, "The Last Electoral Term" / Viimeinen vaalikausi, published in Finland in 1991.</ref> Kekkonen chaired [[Suomalaisuuden Liitto]], another nationalist organisation, from 1930 to 1932. He also published articles in its magazine, ''Suomalainen Suomi'' ({{langx|fi|Finnish Finland}}), which was later renamed as ''[[Kanava (magazine)|Kanava]]''.<ref>{{cite journal|author1=Andrew G. Newby|author2=Richard Mc Mahon|title=Select Document: John Hampden Jackson, 'Finland and Ireland: assorted comparisons' (1937)|journal=Irish Historical Studies|volume=41|issue=160|doi=10.1017/ihs.2017.35|page=259
|s2cid=165268135|year=2017}}</ref>

Kekkonen spent long periods of time in late-[[Weimar Republic|Weimar-era Germany]] between 1931<ref>[https://jyx.jyu.fi/bitstream/handle/123456789/13448/9789513928278.pdf?sequence=1 Timo J. Tuikka : "Kekkosen konstit" – Urho Kekkosen historia – ja politiikkakäsitykset teoriasta käytäntöön 1933-1981. University of Jyväskylä 2007]</ref> and 1933 while working on his dissertation and there witnessed the rise of [[Adolf Hitler]]. This alerted him to far-right radicalism and apparently led him to publish ''Demokratian itsepuolustus'' (Self-Defense of Democracy), a political pamphlet warning about the danger, in 1934. In 1933 he joined the [[Centre Party of Finland|Agrarian League]] (later renamed the Centre Party), became a civil servant at the Ministry of Agriculture and made his first unsuccessful attempt at getting elected to the [[Parliament of Finland|Finnish Parliament]].<ref name="bio" />

Kekkonen successfully stood for parliament a second time in 1936 whereupon he became [[Minister of Justice (Finland)|Justice Minister]], serving from 1936 to 1937. During his term, he enacted the "Tricks of Kekkonen" (''Kekkosen konstit''), an attempt to ban the right-wing, radical [[Patriotic People's Movement (Finland)|Patriotic People's Movement]] (''Isänmaallinen Kansanliike'', IKL). In the end, this effort was found illegal and halted by the [[Supreme Court of Finland|Supreme Court]]. Kekkonen was also Minister of the Interior from 1937 to 1939. 

He was not a member of the cabinets during the [[Winter War]] or the [[Continuation War]]. In March 1940, in a meeting of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Finnish Parliament, he voted against the [[Moscow peace treaty]]. During the [[Continuation War]], Kekkonen served as director of the [[Evacuation of Finnish Karelia|Karelian Evacuees]]' Welfare Centre from 1940 to 1943 and as the Ministry of Finance's commissioner for coordination from 1943 to 1945, tasked with rationalising public administration. By that time, he had become one of the leading politicians within the so-called [[Peace opposition]] which advocated withdrawing from the war, having concluded that Germany, and consequently Finland, would lose. In 1944, he again became [[Ministry of Justice (Finland)|Minister of Justice]], serving until 1946, and had to deal with the [[war-responsibility trials]]. Kekkonen was a Deputy Speaker of the Parliament 1946–1947, and was [[Speakers of the Parliament of Finland|Speaker]] from 1948 to 1950.<ref>{{cite web
 |url          = http://www.eduskunta.fi/triphome/bin/hx5000.sh?{hnro}=910708&{kieli}=su&{haku}=kaikki
 |title        = Edustajamatrikkeli
 |publisher    = Eduskunta
 |access-date  = 2 December 2017
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20130518224214/http://www.eduskunta.fi/triphome/bin/hx5000.sh?%7Bhnro%7D=910708&%7Bkieli%7D=su&%7Bhaku%7D=kaikki
 |archive-date = 18 May 2013
 |url-status     = dead
 |df           = dmy-all
}}</ref>

In the 1950 Presidential election, Kekkonen was the candidate of the Finnish [[Centre Party (Finland)|Agrarian League]]. He conducted a vigorous campaign against incumbent President [[Juho Kusti Paasikivi]] to finish third in the first and only ballot, receiving 62 votes in the [[electoral college]], while Paasikivi was reelected with 171. After the election, Paasikivi appointed Kekkonen Prime Minister where in all his five [[Cabinet (government)|cabinets]], he emphasised the need to maintain friendly relations with the Soviet Union. Known for his authoritarian personality,{{citation needed|date=April 2011}} he was ousted in 1953 but returned as Prime Minister from 1954 to 1956. Kekkonen also served as [[Minister of Foreign Affairs (Finland)|Minister of Foreign Affairs]] for periods in 1952–1953 and 1954, concurrent with his prime ministership.<ref>For the number and composition of Kekkonen's five coalition governments, see, for example "The President of the Finnish Republic 1956–1982" / ''Tasavallan presidentti 1956–1982'', published in Finland in 1993–94. The Finnish government website, www.vn.fi, also has information.</ref>

===President of Finland===
====Overview====
[[File:Kekkonen valtiovierailulla Yhdysvalloissa.jpg|thumb|right|Urho Kekkonen (left), [[Sylvi Kekkonen]] (second right), [[John F. Kennedy]], and [[Jacqueline Kennedy]] in 1961 in [[Washington Dulles International Airport]] ]]
[[File:Tito-Kekkonen-1964.jpg|thumb|right|190px|Kekkonen receiving Yugoslav leader [[Josip Broz Tito|Tito]] in [[Helsinki]], 1964]]
During Kekkonen's term, the balance of power between the [[Finnish Government]] and the President tilted heavily towards the President. In principle and formally, parliamentarism was followed with governments nominated by a parliamentary majority. However, Kekkonen-era cabinets were often in bitter internal disagreement and alliances formed broke down easily. New cabinets often tried to reverse their predecessors' policies.<ref>Hägglund, Gustaf (2006). ''Leijona ja kyyhky''. Helsingissä: [[Otava (publisher)|Otava]]. {{ISBN|978-951-1-21161-7}}</ref> Kekkonen used his power extensively to nominate ministers and to compel the legislature's acceptance of new cabinets. Publicly and with impunity, he also used the [[Old boy network (Finland)|old boy network]] to bypass the government and communicate directly with high officials. Only when Kekkonen's term ended did governments remain stable throughout the entire period between elections.

Nevertheless, during Kekkonen's presidency, a few parties were represented in most governments — mainly the Centrists, Social Democrats, and Swedish People's Party — while the People's Democrats and Communists were often in government from 1966 onwards.<ref>"What Where When 1994 – The Citizen's Yearbook" / Mitä Missä Milloin 1994 – Kansalaisen vuosikirja, published in Helsinki by Otava Publications Ltd. in 1993;  "The Republic's President 1956–1982", published in Finland in 1993–94.</ref>

Throughout his time as president, Kekkonen did his best to keep political adversaries in check. The Centre Party's rival National Coalition Party was kept in opposition for 20 years despite good election performances. The [[Finnish Rural Party|Rural Party]] (which had broken away from the Centre Party) was treated similarly. On a few occasions, parliament was dissolved for no other reason than that its political composition did not please Kekkonen. Despite his career in the Centre Party, his relation to the party was often difficult. There was a so-called ''K-linja'' ("K policy", named after Urho Kekkonen, [[Ahti Karjalainen]] and [[Arvo Korsimo]]), which promoted friendly relations and [[bilateral trade]] with the Soviet Union. Kekkonen consolidated his power within the party by placing supporters of the ''K-linja'' in leading roles. Various Centre Party members to whose prominence Kekkonen objected often found themselves sidelined, as Kekkonen negotiated directly with the lower level. Chairman of the Centre Party, [[Johannes Virolainen]], was threatened by Kekkonen with the dissolution of parliament when Kekkonen wanted to nominate SDP's Sorsa instead of Virolainen as Prime Minister.<ref>"[http://suomenhistoriaa.blogspot.com/2010/11/sorsan-virolaisen-hallitus.html Sorsan Virolaisen Hallitus]", November 2010.</ref> Kekkonen's so-called "Mill Letters" were a continuous stream of directives to high officials, politicians, and journalists. Yet Kekkonen by no means always used coercive measures. Some prominent politicians, most notably [[Tuure Junnila]] ([[National Coalition Party|NCP]]) and [[Veikko Vennamo]] ([[Finnish Rural Party|Rural Party]]), were able to brand themselves as "anti-Kekkonen" without automatically suffering his displeasure as a consequence.

====First term (1956–62)====
[[File:JFKWHP-KN-C19113.jpg|thumb|left|Kekkonen's visit to the United States in 1961 and first time in the [[White House]]. Left: Urho Kekkonen, [[Sylvi Kekkonen]], [[Jacqueline Kennedy]], and [[John F. Kennedy]].]]
[[File:Kekkonen ja Khrushchev.jpeg|thumb|right|Soviet leader [[Nikita Khrushchev]] attended Kekkonen's 60th birthday party in [[Presidential Palace, Helsinki]]. The party continued until 5&nbsp;a.m. at the [[Tamminiemi]] residence.]]
In the [[1956 Finnish presidential election|presidential election of 1956]], Kekkonen defeated the Social Democrat [[Karl-August Fagerholm]] 151–149 in the electoral college vote. The campaign was notably vicious, with many personal attacks against several candidates, especially Kekkonen. The tabloid gossip newspaper ''Sensaatio-Uutiset'' ("Sensational News") accused Kekkonen of fistfighting, excessive drinking and extramarital affairs. The drinking and womanizing charges were partly true.  At times, during evening parties with his friends, Kekkonen got drunk, and he had at least two longtime mistresses.<ref name=r1>Seppo Zetterberg et al. (eds.) (2003) ''The Small Giant of the Finnish History''. Suomen historian pikkujättiläinen, Helsinki, Werner Söderström Publishing Ltd.</ref><ref>Pekka Hyvärinen (2000) ''The Man of Finland: Urho Kekkonen's Life''. Suomen mies.  Urho Kekkosen elämä, Helsinki: Werner Söderström Publications Ltd.</ref>

As president, Kekkonen continued the neutrality policy of [[Juho Kusti Paasikivi|President Paasikivi]], which came to be known as the [[Paasikivi–Kekkonen doctrine|Paasikivi–Kekkonen line]]. From the beginning, he ruled with the assumption that he alone was acceptable to the Soviet Union as Finnish President. Evidence from defectors like [[Oleg Gordievsky]] and files from the Soviet archives show that keeping Kekkonen in power was indeed the main objective of the Soviet Union in its relations with Finland.{{citation needed|date=April 2011}}

In August 1958, [[Karl-August Fagerholm's third cabinet]], a coalition government led by the [[Social Democratic Party (Finland)|Social Democratic Party]] (SDP) and including Kekkonen's party [[Agrarian League (Finland)|Agrarian League]], was formed. The Communist front [[SKDL]] was left out. This irritated the Soviet Union because of the inclusion of ministers from SDP's anti-Communist wing, namely [[Väinö Leskinen]] and [[Olavi Lindblom]]. They were seen by the Soviet Union as puppets of the anti-Communist SDP chair [[Väinö Tanner]], who had been convicted in the [[War-responsibility trials in Finland|war-responsibility trials]].<ref name="Varjus2019">Varjus, Seppo. ''Näin valta otetaan ja pidetään.'' In YYA-Suomi – suomettumisen vuodet, Iltasanomat, Sanoma Media Finland 2019, pp. 14–17.</ref> Kekkonen had warned against this but was ignored by SDP. The [[Night Frost Crisis]], as coined by [[Nikita Khrushchev]], led to Soviet pressure against Finland in economic matters. Kekkonen sided with the Soviet Union, working behind the scenes against the cabinet; Fagerholm's cabinet consequently resigned in December 1958. The [[Ministry for Foreign Affairs (Finland)|Finnish Foreign Ministry]] ignored United States offers for help as promised by Ambassador [[John D. Hickerson]] in November 1958.<ref>see Country-studies.com, U.S. Embassy in Finland website, [[U.S. State Department]] website</ref> The crisis was resolved by Kekkonen in January 1959, when he privately travelled to Moscow to negotiate with Khrushchev and [[Andrei Gromyko]]. The crisis established Kekkonen as having the extra-constitutional authority to determine which parties may participate in government, effectively restricting the free parliamentary formation of governing coalitions for many years ahead.

[[File:Urho ja sylvi kekkonen.jpg|thumb|right|President Kekkonen and his wife Sylvi in Mälkiä, [[Lappeenranta]], in 1961]]
The second time the Soviets helped Kekkonen was in the [[Note Crisis]] in 1961. The most widely held view of the [[Note Crisis]] is that the Soviet Union acted to ensure Kekkonen's reelection. Whether Kekkonen himself had organized the incident and to what extent remains debated. Several parties competing against Kekkonen had formed an alliance, ''Honka-liitto'', to promote [[Chancellor of Justice (Finland)|Chancellor of Justice]] [[Olavi Honka]], a non-partisan candidate, in the 1962 presidential elections.<ref name="Varjus2019" /> Kekkonen had planned to foil the ''Honka-liitto'' by calling an early parliamentary election and thus forcing his opponents to campaign against each other and together simultaneously. However, in October 1961, the Soviet Union sent a [[diplomatic note]] proposing military "consultations" as provided by the [[Finno-Soviet Treaty of 1948|Finno-Soviet Treaty]]. As a result, Honka dropped his candidacy, leaving Kekkonen with a clear majority (199 of 300 electors) in the 1962 elections. In addition to support from his own party, Kekkonen received the backing of the [[Swedish People's Party (Finland)|Swedish People's Party]] and the [[Liberals (Finland)|Finnish People's Party]], a small classical liberal party. Furthermore, the conservative National Coalition Party quietly supported Kekkonen, although they had no official presidential candidate after Honka's withdrawal.<ref name="r1" /> Following the Note Crisis, genuine opposition to Kekkonen disappeared, and he acquired an exceptionally strong—later even autocratic—status as the political leader of Finland.

Kekkonen's policies, especially towards the [[USSR]], were criticised within his own party by [[Veikko Vennamo]], who broke off his Centre Party affiliation when Kekkonen was elected president in 1956. In 1959, Vennamo founded the [[Finnish Rural Party]], the forerunner of the nationalist [[True Finns]].

====Second term (1962–68)====
[[File:Kekkonen aseellinen.jpg|thumb|right|Kekkonen hunting with a rifle in [[Zavidovo]], [[Soviet Union]], in 1965]]
[[File:Tage Erlander and Urho Kekkonen 1967.jpg|thumb|right|Kekkonen with the Prime Minister of Sweden [[Tage Erlander]] in a rowing boat in [[Harpsund]], Sweden, in 1967]]
In the 1960s Kekkonen was responsible for a number of foreign-policy initiatives, including the [[Nordic countries|Nordic]] [[nuclear-free zone]] proposal, a border agreement with Norway, and a 1969 Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe. The purpose of these initiatives was to avoid the enforcement of the military articles in the Finno-Soviet Treaty which called for military co-operation with the Soviet Union. Kekkonen thereby hoped to strengthen Finland's moves toward a policy of neutrality. Following the invasion of [[Czechoslovakia]] in 1968, pressure for neutrality increased. Kekkonen informed the Soviet Union in 1970 that if it was no longer prepared to recognise Finland's neutrality, he would not continue as president, nor would the Finno-Soviet Treaty be extended.

====Third term (1968–78)====
Kekkonen was re-elected for a third term in 1968. That year, he was supported by five political parties: the Centre Party, the [[Social Democratic Party of Finland|Social Democrats]], the [[Social Democratic Union of Workers and Smallholders]] (a short-lived SDP faction), the [[Finnish People's Democratic League]] (a communist front), and the Swedish People's Party. He received 201 votes in the electoral college, whereas the [[National Coalition Party (Finland)|National Coalition party]]'s candidate finished second with 66 votes. Vennamo came third with 33 votes. Although Kekkonen was re-elected with two-thirds of the vote, he was so displeased with his opponents and their behaviour that he publicly refused to stand for the presidency again. Vennamo's bold and constant criticisms of his presidency and policies especially infuriated Kekkonen, who labelled him a "cheat" and "demagogue".<ref>see "Urho Kekkonen's Diaries 2:  1963–1968" / Urho Kekkosen päiväkirjat 2: 1963–1968, and "Urho Kekkonen's Diaries 3:  1969–1974" / Urho Kekkosen päiväkirjat 3:  1969–1974, edited by Juhani Suomi and published in Finland around 2002–2004; Johannes Virolainen, "The Last Electoral Term", 1991; Pekka Hyvärinen, "Finland's Man:  Urho Kekkonen's Life" / Suomen mies – Urho Kekkosen elämä, Helsinki:  Werner Söderström Publications Ltd., 2000).</ref>

Initially, Kekkonen had intended to retire at the end of this term, and the Centre Party already began to prepare for his succession by [[Ahti Karjalainen]]. However, Kekkonen began to see Karjalainen as a rival instead, and eventually rejected the idea.

====Term extension (1973)====
{{Infobox legislation
| short_title    = Exceptive law
| legislature    = [[Parliament of Finland]]
| long_title     = Act extending the current term of office of the President of the Republic
| citation       = Säädöskokoelma 232/1973
| signed_by      = Prime Minister [[Kalevi Sorsa]] in the absence of the President of the Republic
| bill_citation  = [https://www.eduskunta.fi/FI/vaski/sivut/trip.aspx?triptype=ValtiopaivaAsiat&docid=he+247/1972 HE 247/1972]
| 3rd_reading    = 18 January 1973
| 3rd_reading_for = 170
| 3rd_reading_against = 28
| 3rd_reading_abstention = 1
| 3rd_reading_absent =
| 3rd_reading_presentnotvoting =
| passed         = <!-- For jurisdictions without numbered readings only. -->
| passed_for     = <!-- For jurisdictions without numbered readings only. -->
| passed_against = <!-- For jurisdictions without numbered readings only. -->
| passed_abstention = <!-- For jurisdictions without numbered readings only. -->
| passed_absent  = <!-- For jurisdictions without numbered readings only. -->
| passed_presentnotvoting = <!-- For jurisdictions without numbered readings only. -->
| related_legislation = [[Constitution of Finland]]
| status         = expired
}}

[[File:ETYK-Finland-delegation-1975.jpg|thumb|left|[[Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe|Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe]] (OSCE) was held in 1975, Helsinki. President Urho Kekkonen (right).]]

On 18 January 1973, the Finnish Parliament extended Kekkonen's presidential term by four years with a [[Derogation|Derogation law]] (an ad hoc law made as an exception to the constitution).<ref name="World Book">{{cite encyclopedia |encyclopedia=[[World Book Encyclopedia|The World Book Year Book 1974]] |title=Chronology 1973 |year=1974 |publisher=[[Field Enterprises]] Educational Corporation |location=Chicago |isbn=0-7166-0474-4 |lccn=62-4818 |page=8 }}</ref> By this time, Kekkonen had secured the backing of most political parties, but the major right-wing [[National Coalition Party]], which Kekkonen had opposed, was still skeptical and stood in the way of the required 5/6 majority. Concurrently, Finland was negotiating a [[free-trade agreement]] with the [[European Community|EEC]], a deal that was seen as vital by Finnish industry, as the United Kingdom, an important buyer of Finnish exports, had left the [[European Free Trade Association]] to become a member of the EEC. Kekkonen implied that only he personally could satisfy the Soviet Union that the deal would not threaten Soviet interests. The tactic secured National Coalition support for the term extension.<ref>Johannes Virolainen, "The Last Electoral Term"</ref>[[File:FIN-500m-1975-anv.jpg|thumb|left|Mk.500 banknote featuring Kekkonen, issued 1975]] The elimination of any significant opposition and competition meant he became Finland's ''de facto'' political autocrat. His power reached its zenith in 1975 when he dissolved parliament and hosted the [[Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe]] (CSCE) in Helsinki with the assistance of a caretaker government.

====Fourth term (1978–82)====
After nine political parties supported Kekkonen's candidacy in the [[1978 Finnish presidential election|1978 presidential election]], including the Social Democratic, Centre and National Coalition parties, no serious rivals remained. He humiliated his opponents by not appearing in televised presidential debates and went on to win 259 out of the 300 electoral college votes, with his nearest rival, [[Raino Westerholm]] of the [[Christian Democrats (Finland)|Christian Union]], receiving only 25.<ref>see Juhani Suomi, "The Ski Trail Being Snowed In:  Urho Kekkonen 1976–1981" / Umpeutuva latu – Urho Kekkonen 1976–1981, Helsinki:  Otava Publications Ltd., 2000.</ref>
[[File:President Gerald R. Ford and President Urho Kekkonen of Finland Examining a Medal Kekkonen Presented to Ford in the Oval Office - NARA - 12007050.jpg|thumb|right|[[Gerald Ford|Gerald R. Ford]] and Urho Kekkonen in the Oval Office in 1976]]
According to Finnish historians and political journalists, there were at least three reasons why Kekkonen clung on to the Presidency. First, he did not believe that any of his successor candidates would manage Finland's Soviet foreign policy well enough. Second, until at least the summer of 1978, he considered there was room for improvement in Finnish-Soviet relations and that his experience was vital to the process. This is exemplified by the use of his diplomatic skills to reject the Soviet Defence Minister [[Dmitriy Ustinov]]'s offer to arrange a joined [[Soviet Armed Forces|Soviet]]-[[Finnish Defence Forces|Finnish]] [[military exercise]].

Third, he believed that by working for as long as possible he would remain healthy and live longer.<ref name="hyvärinen">Pekka Hyvärinen, "Finland's Man"; Juhani Suomi, "A Ski Trail Being Snowed In"</ref> Kekkonen's most severe critics, such as [[Veikko Vennamo]], claimed that he remained President so long mainly because he and his closest associates were power-hungry.<ref>Veikko Vennamo, "As a Prisoner of the Kekkonen Dictatorship" / Kekkos-diktatuurin vankina, published in Finland in 1989).</ref> In 1980 Kekkonen was awarded the [[Lenin Peace Prize]].

===Later life and death===
[[File:Maaottelu-1980-cropped.jpg|thumb|President Urho Kekkonen and Prime Minister [[Mauno Koivisto]] watching Finland-Sweden international tournament at [[Helsinki Olympic Stadium]] (1980)]]
[[File:Urho-Kekkonen-1981-to-Iceland.jpg|thumb|Urho Kekkonen's last state visit was to [[Iceland]] in 1981.]]
[[File:UKK-hautajaissaattue.jpg|thumb|Funeral cortege of Urho Kekkonen in Helsinki, 1986]]
[[File:Kekkonen grave helsinki.jpg|thumb|Grave of Urho Kekkonen at the [[Hietaniemi Cemetery]] in Helsinki]]
From December 1980 onwards, Kekkonen suffered from an undisclosed disease that appeared to affect his brain functions, sometimes leading to delusional thoughts. He had begun to suffer occasional brief memory lapses as early as the autumn of 1972; they became more frequent during the late 1970s. Around the same time, Kekkonen's eyesight deteriorated so much that for his last few years in office, all of his official papers had to be typed in block letters. Kekkonen had also suffered from a failing sense of balance since the mid-1970s and from enlargement of his [[prostate gland]] since 1974. He was also subject to occasional violent headaches and suffered from [[diabetes]] from the autumn of 1979.<ref name="hyvärinen"/> Rumors about his declining health had begun to circulate in the mid to late 1970s, but the press attempted to silence these rumors to respect the president's privacy.

According to biographer Juhani Suomi, Kekkonen gave no thought to resigning until his physical condition began to deteriorate in July 1981. The 80-year-old president then began to seriously consider resigning, most likely in early 1982. Prime Minister [[Mauno Koivisto]] finally dealt a defeat to Kekkonen in 1981. In April, Koivisto did what no one else had dared to during Kekkonen's presidency by stating that under the constitution, the prime minister and cabinet were responsible to Parliament, not to the President. Kekkonen asked Koivisto to resign, but he refused. This is generally seen as the death knell of the Kekkonen era; Kekkonen, who felt that he had lost a significant amount of his authority, never fully recovered from the shock caused by this event.

Historians and journalists debate the precise meaning of this dispute. According to Seppo Zetterberg, Allan Tiitta, and Pekka Hyvärinen, Kekkonen wanted to force Koivisto to resign to decrease his chances of succeeding him as president. In contrast, Juhani Suomi believed the dispute involved scheming between Koivisto and rival prospective presidential candidates.  Kekkonen at times criticised Koivisto for making political decisions too slowly and for his vacillation, especially for speaking too unclearly and philosophically.<ref>Zetterberg and Tiitta et al., eds., "Finland Through the Ages" / Suomi kautta aikojen, Helsinki: Valitut Palat/Reader's Digest, 1992</ref><ref name="hyvärinen"/>

Kekkonen became ill in August during a fishing trip to [[Iceland]]. He went on medical leave on 10 September, before finally resigning due to ill health on 26 October 1981.<ref name="hyvärinen"/><ref>Mauno Koivisto, "Two Terms&nbsp;I: Memories and Notes 1982–1994" / Kaksi kautta I. Muistikuvia ja merkintöjä 1982–1994, Helsinki:  Kirjayhtymä Publishing Ltd., 1994.</ref> There is no report available about his illness, as the papers have been moved to an unknown location, but it is commonly believed that he suffered from [[vascular dementia]], probably due to [[atherosclerosis]].

Kekkonen withdrew from politics during his final years. He died at [[Tamminiemi]] on August 31, 1986, three days before his 86th birthday, and was buried with full honours. His heirs restricted access to his diaries and later an "authorised" biography by [[Juhani Suomi]] was commissioned, the author subsequently defending the interpretation of the history therein and denigrating most other interpretations. Critics have questioned the value of this work; the historian [[Hannu Rautkallio]] considered the biography little else than a "commercial project" designed for selling books rather than aiming for historical accuracy.<ref>Rautkallio, Hannu. ''Alistumisen vuodet''. Paasikivi-kustannus, 2010. {{ISBN|978-9525856088}}</ref>

==Legacy==
[[File:Statue of Urho Kekkonen in Sintra, Portugal.jpg|thumb|190px|Statue of Urho Kekkonen in [[Sintra]], Portugal, made by<br />{{ill|Auli Korhonen|fi||sv}}, titled<br />"The King of Finland"]]
{{Unreferenced section|date=April 2023}}
Some of Kekkonen's actions remain controversial in modern Finland, and disputes continue about how to interpret many of his policies and actions. He often used what was termed the "Moscow card" when his authority was threatened, but he was not the only Finnish politician with close relations to Soviet representatives. Kekkonen's authoritarian behavior during his presidential term was one of the main reasons for the reforms of the Finnish Constitution in 1984–2003. Under these, the powers of Parliament and the prime minister were increased at the expense of presidential power. Several of the changes were initiated by Kekkonen's successors.
* Presidential tenure was limited to two consecutive terms.
* The President's role in cabinet formation was restricted.
* The President was to be elected directly, not by an [[electoral college]].
* The President could no longer dissolve Parliament without the support of the Prime Minister.
* The Prime Minister's role in shaping the [[foreign relations of Finland]] was enhanced.

Although controversial, his policy of neutrality allowed trade with both the Communist and Western blocs. The bilateral trade policy with the Soviet Union was lucrative for many Finnish businesses. His term saw a period of high sustained economic growth and increasing integration with the West. He negotiated entrance into [[EFTA]] and thus was an early beginner for Finnish participation in European integration, which later culminated in full membership in the EU and the euro. He remained highly popular during his term, even though such a profile approached that of a [[cult of personality]] towards the end of his term. He is still popular among many of his contemporaries, particularly in his own Centre Party.

==Cabinets==
* [[Kekkonen I Cabinet]]
* [[Kekkonen II Cabinet]]
* [[Kekkonen III Cabinet]]
* [[Kekkonen IV Cabinet]]
* [[Kekkonen V Cabinet]]

==Tributes==
[[File:U-K-Kekkonen-1980.jpg|thumb|Kekkonen on a Finnish stamp, issued in 1980|150px]]
* The [[Urho Kekkonen National Park]], Finland's second largest national park, is named after Kekkonen.
* The [[Urho Kekkonen museum]] was opened in [[Tamminiemi]] in 1987.
* In [[Helsinki]], the former Kampinkatu ([[Kamppi]] Street) was renamed Urho Kekkosen katu in Finnish and Urho Kekkonens gata in Swedish (Urho Kekkonen Street) in 1980.
* In [[Tampere]], the [[Paasikivi–Kekkonen Road]] (''Paasikiven–Kekkosentie'') is named after both Kekkonen and [[J. K. Paasikivi]].<ref>{{cite book| author= Maija Louhivaara | title= Tampereen kadunnimet | year= 1999 | pages = 75, 77| location = Tampere | publisher = Tampereen museot | isbn = 951-609-105-9 | language= fi}}</ref>
* Such was his impact on the Finnish political scene that Kekkonen appeared on the [[Finnish markka|Mk.]]500 [[banknote]] during his term as president. The series of Finnish Markka banknotes used at this time was the second-to-last design series in the entire history of the currency. It is a rare example of a living non-royal head of state being depicted on currency. This banknote was declared Finland's most beautiful note according to voting organised by the commemorative coins and medal marketer Suomen Moneta on 1 April 2011.<ref>[http://www.hs.fi/kotimaa/artikkeli/Kekkonen+on+kaunein+seteli/1135265081475 ''Kekkonen on kaunein seteli''] [[Helsingin Sanomat]] online edition, 1 April 2011. Retrieved 3 April 2011.</ref>
* To date, President Kekkonen is the only Finnish person to have a collector coin issued in his honour during his lifetime.
** 25 years of presidency ([[Silver jubilee]]) of U.&nbsp;K. Kekkonen. The silver collector's coin that pays homage to Kekkonen was issued in 1981 when he had served 25 years as the president. The coin also commemorated Kekkonen's 80th birthday the previous year. Designed by sculptor [[Nina Terno]], the symbolic reverse side of the coin depicts a ploughman with a pair of horses pulling a harrow. In 2010, the Mint of Finland is re-released coins minted in 1981 from its vaults.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.suomenrahapaja.fi/eng/commemorative-and-collector-coins/25-years-of-presidency-of-u.-k.-kekkonen |title=25 Years of presidency of U.&nbsp;K. Kekkonen collector coin |publisher=The Mint of Finland |access-date=16 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101113065448/http://www.suomenrahapaja.fi/eng/commemorative-and-collector-coins/25-years-of-presidency-of-u.-k.-kekkonen |archive-date=13 November 2010 |url-status=dead  }}</ref>
** President U.&nbsp;K. Kekkonen 75th Birthday. The silver coin was issued on Kekkonen's birthday on 3 September 1975 to commemorate the president's 75th birthday. Designed by sculptor [[Heikki Häiväoja]], the [[Obverse and reverse|reverse side]] depicts four tall [[pine tree]]s that symbolise the first four terms of President Kekkonen.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.suomenrahapaja.fi/eng/commemorative-and-collector-coins/president-u.-k.-kekkonen-75th-birthday |title=President U. K. Kekkonen 75th Birthday collector coin |publisher=The Mint of Finland |access-date=16 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101122075715/http://www.suomenrahapaja.fi/eng/commemorative-and-collector-coins/president-u.-k.-kekkonen-75th-birthday |archive-date=22 November 2010 |url-status=dead  }}</ref>
* [[Posti Group]] (formerly ''{{lang|fi|'''Suomen Posti'''}}'' in Finnish) has issued four President Kekkonen commemorative postage stamps.
** Name: 60th birthday of President Urho Kekkonen, issued: 3 September 1960, designed by [[Olavi Vepsäläinen]]
** Name: 70th birthday of President Kekkonen, issued: 3 September 1970, designed by [[Eeva Oivo]]
** Name: 80th birthday of President Kekkonen, issued: 3 September 1980, designed by [[Eeva Oivo]]
** Name: President Kekkonen's mourning stamp, issued: 30 September 1986, designed by [[Eeva Oivo]]
* A monument to Urho Kekkonen and [[Alexei Kosygin]] was erected in [[Kostomuksha]], Russia in 2013.<ref>[http://www.gov.karelia.ru/News/2013/09/0914_01.html ''В Костомукше открыт памятник Алексею Косыгину и Урхо Кекконену''] Правительство республики Карелия</ref>
[[File:Urhopub.jpg|thumb|right|[[St. Urho's Pub]] in Etu-Töölö]]
* A pub in [[Töölö|Etu-Töölö]], [[Helsinki]] was named [[St. Urho's Pub]] in honour of Kekkonen being a regular patron.<ref>Tyrkkö, Maarit: "Iloista kyytiä, nauhuri mukana Porojärvelle", ''Tyttö ja nauhuri'', p. 274. [[WSOY (publisher)|WSOY]] 2014. {{ISBN|978-9510402535}}.</ref>

==In popular culture==
[[File:Pieksämäki - Kekkos-graffiti IMG 0227 C.JPG|thumb|right|[[Graffiti]] in [[Pieksämäki]] representing Kekkonen, who is still well recognised in Finnish popular culture]]
===Film and television===
* The vote count from the [[1978 Finnish presidential election|1978 elections]] was broadcast on the radio, and has been shown numerous times in television documentaries. The monotonous reading out of the votes, in groups of five, is still well-recognised in Finnish popular culture, and broadly quoted and paraphrased; "Kekkonen, Kekkonen, Kekkonen, Kekkonen, Kekkonen."<ref>[http://yle.fi/elavaarkisto/artikkelit/kekkonen_kekkonen_kekkonen_77859.html#media=77853 "Kekkonen, Kekkonen, Kekkonen..."]. yle.fi. 3 February 2012</ref> 
* A portrait of Kekkonen is stolen by the protagonist of the 1988 [[Aki Kaurismäki]] film ''[[Ariel (film)|Ariel]]''. A Kekkonen portrait is also used in his 1987 film ''[[Hamlet Goes Business]]''.
* In the 1987 thriller film ''[[Farewell, Mr. President]]'', directed by [[Matti Kassila]], one of the most important characters is the president of Finland (played by [[Tarmo Manni]]) who has very similar look to Kekkonen, but who is not referred to by name.<ref>[http://laajakuva.com/jaahyvaiset-presidentille-1987/ Jäähyväiset presidentille (1987)] – Laajakuva (in Finnish)</ref><ref>[https://www.hs.fi/paivanlehti/19092017/art-2000005372871.html Kekkosen näköistä presidenttiä uhkaa salamurhaaja] – ''[[Helsingin Sanomat]]'' (in Finnish)</ref>
* A Finnish movie, ''Kekkonen tulee!'' (Kekkonen Is Coming!), set in the late 1970s, is about Kekkonen visiting a small village in Finland and how everyone is excited.<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2330933/ Village People (2013)]. IMDb</ref>
* A Vril Kekkonen is portrayed by Tero Kaukomaa in the movie ''[[Iron Sky: The Coming Race]]''
* In the 2019 Finnish television series ''{{ill|Shadow Lines (TV series)|fi|Nyrkki (televisiosarja)|lt=Shadow Lines}}'' (''Nyrkki''), Kekkonen appears as a character with [[J. K. Paasikivi]]. In the series Kekkonen is played by [[Janne Reinikainen (actor)|Janne Reinikainen]].<ref>[http://mesta.net/nyrkki-vakoojasarjaa-kuvattiin-tamminiemessa-talta-nayttaa-janne-reinikainen-kekkosena/ Nyrkki-vakoojasarjaa kuvattiin Tamminiemessä – tältä näyttää Janne Reinikainen Kekkosena] (in Finnish)</ref><ref>[https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-11839037 YLE: Katsojien reaktio Kekkoseen teatterilavalla yllätti näyttelijä Janne Reinikaisen: "Yleisö käyttäytyi kuin lastennäytelmässä"] (in Finnish)</ref>

===Other media===
* The North American Finnish invention [[Saint Urho]], created in the 1950s, is likely named after Kekkonen
* The name of the Finnish men's magazine, ''[[Urkki (magazine)|Urkki]]'', was a reference to Urho Kekkonen.<ref>{{cite book|author=Laura Saarenmaa|editor1=Henrik G. Bastiansen|editor2=Rolf Werenskjold|title=The Nordic Media and the Cold War|year=2015|publisher=Nordicom
|location=Göteborg|isbn=978-91-87957-15-4|pages=106|chapter-url=https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1534764/FULLTEXT01.pdf#page=103
|chapter=Political Nonconformity in Finnish Men’s Magazines during the Cold War}}</ref>
* [[Matti Hagelberg]] uses a caricature of Kekkonen as the main character in his comic album with the same name.
* A likeness of Kekkonen in portrait is available as a placeable furniture item in the popular online game ''[[Habbo]]'', which serves as an homage to him by the games' Finnish developers [[Sulake]].
* [[Generative artificial intelligence|AI technology]] has been used to create videos on [[YouTube]] about a fictional television talk show called ''Kekkonen Talk Show'', in which Kekkonen himself acts as the host, interviewing [[Irwin Goodman]], [[Vladimir Putin]] and [[Adolf Hitler]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.is.fi/digitoday/art-2000010781874.html|title=Tämä tubettaja iski taas – hulvaton Kekkos-video leviää kovalla tahdilla|first=Olli|last=Tiihonen|work=[[Ilta-Sanomat]]|date=23 October 2024|access-date=31 March 2025|language=fi}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.v2.fi/uutiset/viihde/52524/Kekkonen-Talk-Show-haastattelee-Adolf-Hitleria-tietenkin-suomeksi/|title=Kekkonen Talk Show haastattelee Adolf Hitleriä, tietenkin suomeksi|first=Jari Tapani|last=Peltonen|website=V2.fi|date=17 February 2025|access-date=31 March 2025|language=fi}}</ref><ref name="hs"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.iltalehti.fi/kotimaa/a/e5eb4f0c-f564-4426-a2cf-2e57c032e1f5|title=Jani herätti Urho Kekkosen kuolleista – Nyt UKK puhuu Putinille, ja ihmiset ovat villeinä|first=Aleksi|last=Pylvänäinen|work=[[Iltalehti]]|date=9 April 2025|access-date=10 April 2025|language=fi}}</ref> Although the videos are made for entertainment purposes, the videos have also divided opinions and raised ethical questions about the use of deceased people, such as Kekkonen, with the help of artificial intelligence.<ref name="hs">{{cite web|url=https://www.hs.fi/kulttuuri/art-2000011045256.html|title=Tekoäly laittaa Kekkosen pistämään Hitleriä turpaan – Mitä sanoo laki?|trans-title=AI makes Kekkonen kicks Hitler's ass – What does the law say?|first=Jussi|last=Ahlroth|work=[[Helsingin Sanomat]]|date=2 March 2025|access-date=31 March 2025|language=fi}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Finland|Biography|Politics}}
* [[List of state visits made by President Urho Kekkonen of Finland]]
* [[Paasikivi–Kekkonen doctrine]]
* [[Georg C. Ehrnrooth]]

==Honours==
{{Infobox coat of arms
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|armiger          = Urho Kekkonen
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|supporters       =
|compartment      =
|motto            = "{{lang|fi|Sitä kuusta kuuleminen}}" ("Listen to the tree, by the roots of which you live")
|orders           =
|other_elements   =
|earlier_versions =
|use              =
|notes            =
}}

===National honours===
* {{Flag|Finland}}: Grand Cross of the [[Order of the White Rose]]<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2019-12-02 |title=Ruusun ja Leijonan matkassa – suomalainen kunniamerkkiperinne on pitänyt pintansa |url=https://yle.fi/aihe/artikkeli/2019/12/02/ruusun-ja-leijonan-matkassa-suomalainen-kunniamerkkiperinne-on-pitanyt-pintansa |access-date=2024-04-09 |website=YLE Uutiset |language=fi}}</ref>
* {{Flag|Finland}}: Grand Cross of the [[Order of the Lion of Finland]]<ref name=":0" />
* {{Flag|Finland}}: Grand Cross of the [[Order of the Cross of Liberty]]<ref name=":0" />
* {{Flag|Finland}}: Grand Cross of the [[Order of the Holy Lamb]]<ref>{{cite news|title=Kahdeksan vuosikymmentä|newspaper=Helsingin Sanomat|date=3 September 1980|page=34|url=https://nakoislehti.hs.fi/2f6a6e54-ea36-4953-ba90-06d84bc6fe45/34|language=fi}}</ref>

===Foreign honours===
{{dynamic list|date=February 2021}}
* {{flag|Sweden}}: Knight of the [[Order of the Seraphim]]
* {{flag|Norway}}: Grand Cross of the [[Order of St. Olav]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tildelinger av ordener og medaljer |url=https://www.kongehuset.no/tildelinger.html?tid=28028&sek=27995&q=kekkonen&type=&aarstall= |access-date=2024-04-09 |website=Det norske kongehus |language=no}}</ref>
* {{flag|Denmark}}: Knight of the [[Order of the Elephant]]
* {{flag|Iceland}}: Grand Cross with Collar of the [[Order of the Falcon]] – His wife: Grand Cross<ref>{{Cite web |year=2024 |title=Orðuhafaskrá |url=https://www.forseti.is/f%C3%A1lkaor%C3%B0an/orduhafaskra/# |access-date=2024-04-09 |website=Forseti Íslands |language=is}}</ref>
* {{flag|Austria}}: [[Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria]]
* {{flag|Britain}}: Grand Cross of the [[Order of the Bath]] (1969)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kunniamerkki; Bath-ritarikunnan siviiliosaston suurristi rintatähtineen.|work=Finna|publisher=Coin Chamber, The National Museum of Finland |access-date=25 February 2021 |url= https://www.finna.fi/Record/museovirasto.004E3C0DE37B7BD12C64451D1BF5FB071969 |language=fi}}</ref>
* {{flag|Italy}}: Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the [[Order of Merit of the Italian Republic]] (1960)<ref>{{Cite book |title=Italian tasavallan Ansioritarikunnan suurristi ketjun kera; kunniamerkki|work=Finna|publisher=Coin Chamber, The National Museum of Finland |access-date=25 February 2021 |url= https://www.finna.fi/Record/museovirasto.6B12C0E9079C873283507F677CD0AD47 |language=fi}}</ref>
* {{flag|Spain}}: Collar of the [[Order of Isabella the Catholic]] (1975)<ref>{{Cite web |title=BOE-A-1975-11355 Decreto 1154/1975, de 2 de junio, por el que se concede el Collar de la Orden de Isabel la Católica al señor Urho Kekkonen, Presidente de la República de Finlandia. |url=https://www.boe.es/diario_boe/txt.php?id=BOE-A-1975-11355 |access-date=2024-04-09 |website=Boletín Oficial del Estado |language=es}}</ref>
* {{flag|Spain}}: Collar of the [[Order of Charles&nbsp;III]] (1978)<ref>{{Cite web |title=BOE-A-1979-325 Real Decreto 3103/1978, de 9 de diciembre, por el que se concede el Collar de la Real y Muy Distinguida Orden de Carlos III al excelentísimo señor Urho Kekkonen, Presidente de la República de Finlandia. |url=https://www.boe.es/diario_boe/txt.php?id=BOE-A-1979-325 |access-date=2024-04-09 |website=Boletín Oficial del Estado |language=es}}</ref>
* {{flag|Mexico|1934}}: Collar of the [[Order of the Aztec Eagle]] (1963)<ref>{{Cite book |title=Meksikon Atsteekkien Kotkan ritarikunnan suurristin kaulaketju; kunniamerkki|work=Finna|publisher=Coin Chamber, The National Museum of Finland |access-date=25 February 2021 |url= https://www.finna.fi/Record/museovirasto.A00E25453B25A346E25E8232FBD5AD9B |language=fi}}</ref>
* {{flag|Tunisia|1959}}: Grand Cross of the {{ill|Order of Independence (Tunisia)|ar|وسام الاستقلال (تونس)|lt=Order of Independence}} (1965)<ref>{{Cite book |title=Tunisian Itsenäisyyden ritarikunnan suurristi ja rintatähti; kunniamerkki|work=Finna|publisher=Coin Chamber, The National Museum of Finland |access-date=25 February 2021 |url= https://www.finna.fi/Record/museovirasto.CAE60685F6D24E7584142A4D90BD4030 |language=fi}}</ref>
* {{flag|Egypt|1958}}: Collar of the [[Order of the Nile]] (1967)<ref>{{Cite book |title=Niilin ritarikunnan ketju; kunniamerkki; Niilin risti|work=Finna|publisher=Coin Chamber, The National Museum of Finland |access-date=25 February 2021 |url= https://www.finna.fi/Record/museovirasto.851E315687F04F14C87E5B7069C8C61B |language=fi}}</ref>
* {{flag|Holy See}}: Collar of the [[Order of Pope Pius IX]] (1971)<ref>{{Cite book |title=Pyhän Istuimen Piuksen ritarikunnan kultainen suurristi ketjun kera; kunniamerkki; Pyhän Istuimen Piuksen ritarikunnan kultainen suurketju|work=Finna|publisher=Coin Chamber, The National Museum of Finland |access-date=25 February 2021 |url= https://www.finna.fi/Record/museovirasto.C2CF68E948F4037723CB4D3B1FA2832D |language=fi}}</ref>
* {{flag|San Marino|1862}}: Grand Cross with Collar of the [[Order of San Marino]] (1971)<ref>{{Cite book |title=Pyhän Marinuksen ritarikunnan suurristi ketjun kera; kunniamerkki|work=Finna|publisher=Coin Chamber, The National Museum of Finland |access-date=25 February 2021 |url= https://www.finna.fi/Record/museovirasto.47860265FAAF7B3B977FF910E05173A4 |language=fi}}</ref>
* {{flag|Senegal}}: Grand Cross of the [[National Order of the Lion]] (1973)<ref>{{Cite book |title=Senegalin Leijonan ritarikunnan suurristi ja rintatähti; kunniamerkki|work=Finna|publisher=Coin Chamber, The National Museum of Finland |access-date=25 February 2021 |url= https://www.finna.fi/Record/museovirasto.38D298D1C5C3665CA0198A5751A1A4D2 |language=fi}}</ref>
* {{flag|Colombia}}: Grand Cross of the [[Order of Boyaca]] (1980)<ref>{{Cite book |title=kunniamerkki; Kolumbian Boyaga ritarikunnan suurristi rintatähden kera|work=Finna|publisher=Coin Chamber, The National Museum of Finland |access-date=25 February 2021 |url= https://www.finna.fi/Record/museovirasto.BC68BE8322B43503AE6130282825FF42 |language=fi}}</ref>

Former socialist states:
* [[File:Flag of Bulgaria (1967-1971).svg|border|23px]] [[People's Republic of Bulgaria]]: [[Orders, decorations, and medals of Bulgaria#People's Republic Of Bulgaria (16th September 1946-10th November 1989)|Order of the Balkan Mountains]]
* [[File:Flag of Poland.svg|border|23px]] [[People's Republic of Poland]]: [[Order of the White Eagle (Poland)|Order of the White Eagle]]
* [[File:flag of Romania (1965-1989).svg|23px]] [[Socialist Republic of Romania]]: [[Order of the Star of the Romanian Socialist Republic]]
Former (now-defunct) states:
* {{flag|Czechoslovakia}}: [[Order of the White Lion]] (1969)
* {{flag|Soviet Union}}: [[Order of Friendship of Peoples]]<ref name=Valkonen1998>{{cite news | last = Valkonen | first = Martti | title = Erityisen ansioituneet: Keille Neuvostoliitto jakoi Suomessa kunniamerkkejä? | newspaper = Helsingin Sanomat | date = 25 January 1998 | url = https://www.hs.fi/sunnuntai/art-2000003690726.html| access-date = 25 August 2022 |language = fi }}</ref>
* {{flag|Soviet Union}}: [[Order of Lenin]]<ref name=Valkonen1998/>
* {{flag|Yugoslavia}}: Great Star of the [[Order of the Yugoslav Star]] (1963)<ref>{{Cite book |title=Jugoslavian Suuren Tähden ritarikunnan suurristi rintatähdellä.; kunniamerkki|work=Finna|publisher=Coin Chamber, The National Museum of Finland |access-date=25 February 2021 |url= https://www.finna.fi/Record/museovirasto.C079DE339FA1BB320160044F31A145AB |language=fi}}</ref>
* {{flag|Iran|1964}}: [[Empire of Iran]]: Grand Cross with Collar of the [[Order of Pahlavi]] (1970)<ref>{{Cite book |title=Pahlavin ritarikunnan suurristi ketjun kera; kunniamerkki|work=Finna|publisher=Coin Chamber, The National Museum of Finland |access-date=25 February 2021 |url= https://www.finna.fi/Record/museovirasto.3D33175AA4B7FAE07BE42DD48883C48B |language=fi}}</ref>
* {{flag|Iran|1964}}: [[Empire of Iran]]: {{ill|Commemorative Medal of the 2500th Anniversary of the founding of the Persian Empire|nl|Herinneringsmedaille ter gelegenheid van het 25e Eeuwfeest van de Stichting van het Keizerrijk Iran}} (14 October 1971).<ref>[http://badraie.com/guests.htm Iran] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305043732/http://badraie.com/guests.htm |date=5 March 2016 }}. Badraie</ref><ref>[http://badraie.com/images/finland.JPG JPG image]. Badraie</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}
{{notelist}}

==Further reading==
* Wilsford, David, ed. ''Political leaders of contemporary Western Europe: a biographical dictionary'' (Greenwood, 1995) pp.&nbsp;223–230.

==External links==
{{Commons category|Urho Kekkonen}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060619222528/http://www.nba.fi/en/ukk_museum Urho Kekkonen Museum, Tamminiemi, Helsinki]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070709053253/http://www.kolumbus.fi/ukk-arkisto/endex.htm The Archives of President Urho Kekkonen]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070607181154/http://www.luontoon.fi/page.asp?Section=5392 Urho Kekkonen National Park]
* [https://suomenpresidentit.fi/kekkonen/?lang=en Urho Kekkonen] in The Presidents of Finland

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{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Karl-August Fagerholm]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Speaker of the Parliament of Finland]]|years=1948–1950}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Karl-August Fagerholm]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Karl-August Fagerholm]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Prime Minister of Finland]]|years=1950–1953}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Sakari Tuomioja]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Ralf Törngren]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Prime Minister of Finland]]|years=1954–1956}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Karl-August Fagerholm]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Juho Kusti Paasikivi]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[President of Finland]]|years=1956–1982}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Mauno Koivisto]]}}
{{s-end}}
{{FinnishPresidents|state=expanded}}
{{FinnishPrimeMinisters}}
{{Authority control}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kekkonen, Urho}}
[[Category:Urho Kekkonen| ]]
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