Elias Simojoki

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Finnish priest and politician (1899–1940)

title: "Elias Simojoki" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1899-births", "1940-deaths", "people-from-kalajoki", "people-from-oulu-province-(grand-duchy-of-finland)", "20th-century-finnish-lutheran-clergy", "patriotic-people's-movement-(finland)-politicians", "members-of-the-parliament-of-finland-(1933–1936)", "members-of-the-parliament-of-finland-(1936–1939)", "people-of-the-finnish-civil-war-(white-side)", "university-of-helsinki-alumni", "finnish-military-personnel-killed-in-world-war-ii", "deaths-by-firearm-in-finland", "anti-russian-sentiment-in-europe", "christian-fascists"] description: "Finnish priest and politician (1899–1940)" topic_path: "history" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elias_Simojoki" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Finnish priest and politician (1899–1940) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox Politician"]

Field	Value
image	Elias Simojoki.jpg
constituency	Western Electoral District of Kuopio county
birth_name	Lauri Elias Simelius
birth_date	28 January 1899
birth_place	Rautio, Grand Duchy of Finland
death_date
death_place	Impilahti, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
death_cause	Killed in action
citizenship
occupation	Priest
known_for	Political activist
title	Member of Parliament
party	Patriotic People's Movement
term_start	01.09.1933
term_end	31.08.1939
education	Honors Degree in Theology at University of Helsinki
allegiance	Finland
branch	Infantry
serviceyears	1940
unit	JR 39
::

World War II
- Winter War Lauri Elias Simojoki (28 January 1899 – 25 January 1940) was a Finnish clergyman who became a leading figure in the country's far right movement.

The son of a clergyman, Simojoki was born on 28 January 1899 in Rautio. As a youth he saw service in the struggle for Finnish independence and then with the Forest Guerrillas in East Karelia. A student in theology at the University of Helsinki, he became involved in the formation of Academic Karelia Society, serving as chairman from 1922-1923 and secretary from 1923-1924. He advocated the union of all Finnish people into a Greater Finland whilst in this post. Strongly influenced by Russophobia, the student Simojoki addressed a rally on 'Kalevala Day' in 1923 with the slogan "In the name of Finland's lost honour and her coming greatness, death to the Ruskis."

Simojoki was ordained as a minister in 1925 and he held the chaplaincy at Kiuruvesi from 1929 until his death. He became involved with the Patriotic People's Movement and, in 1933, took command of their youth movement, Sinimustat (The Blue-and-Blacks), which looked for inspiration to similar movements amongst fascist parties in Germany and Italy. The movement was banned in 1936 due to its involvement in revolutionary activity in Estonia, although Simojoki continued to serve as a leading member of the Patriotic People's Movement. He was a Member of Parliament in 1933-1939. He founded a second youth group, Mustapaidat (the Black Shirts), in 1937, although this proved less successful.

When the Winter War broke out in 1939, Simojoki enlisted as a chaplain in the Finnish Army. He was killed in action on Koirinoja's ice in Impilahti, while putting down a wounded horse in no man's land. After the Finnish troops were unable to put down the horse from their positions, Simojoki skied to the horse and euthanized it with a pistol. Having done that, he was gunned down by a Soviet machine gun.

References

[[Philip Rees]], ''[[Biographical Dictionary of the Extreme Right Since 1890]]'', Simon & Schuster, 1990, p. 359
Christopher S. Browning, ''Constructivism, Narrative and Foreign Policy Analysis: A Case Study of Finland'', Peter Lang, 2008, p. 129
Virkkunen, Sakari. (1975). "Elias Simojoki – legenda jo eläessään". WSOY.

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