Revision 855345094 of "Lauri Kovalainen" on enwiki

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{{Infobox person
| name        = Lars Kovala
| image       = Lars Kovala.jpg
| image_size  = 
| caption     = 
| birth_date  = 25 May 1818
| birth_place = [[Suomussalmi]], [[Oulu Province]], [[Grand Duchy of Finland]]
| death_date = 12 November 1894 (aged 76)
| death_place =
| occupation  = [[Business Tycoon]], Investor, philanthropist
| salary      =
| networth    = 
| spouse      = 
| children    = 5
| website     = 
| footnotes   =
}}
'''Lars Kovala''' (originally '''Lauri Kovalainen''') (b. 25 May 1818 in [[Oulu]], [[Finland]] − 12 November 1894) acquired his schooling in [[Suomussalmi]], [[Oulu Province|Finland]] was a Finnish-American business tycoon, merchant, fur trader, and investor coming from one of the most powerful families in Finland in the 19th century seeking [[Independence of Finland|Finnish Independence]]. He was the great-great-great-grandfather of famous Finnish racing driver [[Heikki Kovalainen]] and father of [[Joonas Kovalainen|Joonas Kovala]], a founder of [[Stanton Township, Michigan|Onnela, Houghton County, Michigan]], U.S.A.<ref>{{cite book|last=Ilmonen|first=S.|title=AMERIKAN SUOMALAISIA HISTORIA III; YHDYSVALLOISSA JA CANADASSA OLEVAT SUOMALAISET ASUTUKSET|trans-title=American history of Finnish III; Finnish settlement in the United States and Canada|date=1926|page=113|asin=B00AGY26I4|publisher=Suomalais-Luteerilainen Kustannusliike|language=Finnish}}</ref> During the catastrophic [[Finnish famine of 1866–1868]] he arrived in Alaska on board of one of the Russian American Co. ships. He entered the fur trade<ref>Cape Girardeau Argus 26 May 1864</ref> but seeing the decline of demand and in conjunction with the American takeover of Alaska, took advantage of the Russian American Co. equipment and properties being sold. Kovalainen funded the [[Gustave Niebaum|Hansen, Nybom and Co.]] who managed to purchase one of the Russian American Co.'s brigs for $4,000.<ref>Cheney Sentinel. 13 September 1889. p. 1, col. 1. (A newspaper in 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. They became wealthy seal-skin traders. They sold Alaskan seal skins in San Francisco and made California their new home. 

Profiting from the seal skin trade Kovala began [[real estate investing|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> On the advice of corporate attorney Elbert Henry Gary, Kovala also began investing in [[railroad]]s.

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, Washington).</ref>

==Marriage and family==
{{further information|Kovalainen family}}

In 1845, Kovalainen married and had 5 children:

*[[Antti Kovalainen]] (14 March 1847 — 1899)
* Heikki Kovalainen (1848 — )
*[[Joonas Laurinpoika Kovalainen]] (1850 — 1931)
*[[Jaakko Kovalainen]]
*[[Elsa Greta Kovalainen]] (18 June 1863 — 24 May 1933)

==Illnesses and death==

In his 70s Kovalainen suffered from moderate depression and digestive troubles. He moved back to Suomussalmi, Finland in 1892.

Kovalainen was accused of funding underground Finnish revolutionary forces and declared enemy of the Russian Empire in 1893 by [[Alexander III of Russia|Alexander III]].  Eluding capture, he died on 12 November 1894 in Suomussalmi, Finland, less than seven months shy of his 77th birthday. He was buried in Suomussalmi, Oulu Province, Finland.  Among those who attended his funeral was the future first president of Finland, [[Kaarlo Juho Ståhlberg]].<ref>Vestnik Evropi May 1898</ref>

Much of Kovala's wealth was confiscated by [[Nicholas II of Russia|Emperor Nicholas II of Russia]], while the remainder of his fortune is believed to have been passed to Kovala’s great-great-grandson living in the U.S.<ref>TV Guide & Sunday Times Magazine (STM); 2005: 20 Feb</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kovalainen, Lauri}}
[[Category:1818 births]]
[[Category:1894 deaths]]
[[Category:American businesspeople]]
[[Category:Finnish emigrants to the United States (1809–1917)]]