Difference between revisions 729362738 and 730577535 on enwiki

{{EngvarB|date=September 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2013}}
{{Infobox person
| name        = Lars Kovala
| image       = 
| image_size  = 150px
| caption     = 
| birth_date  = 25 May 1818
(contracted; show full)Cheney, Washington).</ref> At the end of November the same year, Kovalainen and other shareholders sailed away in the brig. Their goal was the [[Pribilof Islands]] in the northern Pacific Ocean. That which lured them to the distant islands was the possibility of buying up valuable seal skins. Profiting from the seal skin trade he began investing in real estate in the Great Lakes region, Canada, and later expanded into the American West and Pacific coast.<ref>Vestnik Evropi May 1898</ref> 
As a clientOn the advice of corporate attorney Elbert Henry Gary, Kovala also began investing in railroads.

Even as a powerful businessman, he was deeply interested in improving the [[quality of life]] of his employees; this led to him becoming a philanthropist, pursuing many [[charitable organization|charitable causes]]. Lars Kovala, [[John D. Rockefeller]] and three others donated money to help create the national [[American Red Cross]] headquarters near the White House in Washington, D.C.<ref>Cheney Sentinel. 13 September 1889. p. 1, col. 2. (A newspaper in Cheney, Washingt(contracted; show full)Kovalainen died of [[arteriosclerosis]] on 12 November 1894 in Suomussalmi, Finland, less than seven months shy of his 77th birthday. He was buried in Suomussalmi, Oulun Laani, Finland.  Attending his funeral included the future president of Finland, [[Kaarlo Juho Ståhlberg]].<ref>Vestnik Evropi May 1898</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kovalainen, Lauri}}
[[Category:1818 births]]
[[Category:1894 deaths]]