Anshelm Kannisto

Anders Anshelm Kannisto (6 March 187614 March 1930) was a Finnish trade unionist and politician who was a member of the Parliament of Finland from 1907 to 1911. A member of the Social Democratic Party, he represented Mikkeli Province. A member of the Red Guard, he was taken prisoner by the White Guard at the start of the Finnish Civil War in 1918. After the war Kannisto was sentenced to eight years in prison for treason, but was released in 1921.

Early life Kannisto was born on 6 March 1876 in Joroinen. He was the son of crofter Gustaf Johan Käck and Gustava Vilhelmina Brask. He was educated at folk school and folk high school.

Trade unionism and politics Kannisto became involved in the labour movement in his youth and joined the Social Democratic Party of Finland (SDP) at the age of 20 through the Kuopio Labor Association. He worked as a distributor for the Vapaus. the SDP's newspaper in Mikkeli, when it was founded in 1906. He was re-elected at the 1908, 1909 and 1910 parliamentary elections.

Following the February Revolution of 1917, Kannisto was elected chairman of the food committee of Mikkeli Province in May 1917. He was a candidate in the 1917 parliamentary election.

Civil war and imprisonment In November 1917 a White Guard unit was formed in Mikkeli under the leadership of William Hjalmar Spåre and Hjalmar Nyberg. A Red Guard unit was also formed in the city at around the same time under the leadership of Kannisto and fellow former SDP MP Alex Halonen. The White Guards besieged the water tower and on 29 January 1918 presented an ultimatum to the Red Guards to surrender, which they did without a shot being fired. In August 1918 the State Criminal Court sentenced Kannisto to eight years in prison and loss of civic rights for 12 years. He was imprisoned in Tammisaari concentration camp. He was released from Tammisaari in June 1921.

Later life Kannisto was secretary of the SDP's branch in Mikkeli Province. from 1921 to 1927 and its president until 1930. He was buried at Mikkeli's new cemetery on 23 March 1930.