Johan Vilhelm Snellman

Johan Vilhelm Snellman (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈjuːhɑn ˈvilːhelm ˈsnelːmɑn] ; 12 May 1806 – 4 July 1881) was a Finland-Swedish philosopher, journalist and statesman, and one of the leading figures of Fennoman nationalism in 19th-century Finland. A central exponent of Hegelian philosophy in the Nordic countries, he is regarded as one of the most important 'awakeners' of Finnish national identity, alongside Elias Lönnrot and J. L. Runeberg. As editor of the newspapers Saima (1844–1846) and Litteraturblad (from 1847), Snellman introduced modern social criticism into Finnish public debate and argued that the educated classes should adopt Finnish as a language of culture and administration. He was appointed professor of philosophy at the University of Helsinki in 1856 and served as a senator and head of the first department of the finance committee from 1863 to 1868, during which time he carried through the monetary reform that pegged the Finnish markka to silver. Ennobled in 1866, he is commemorated annually on his birthday, 12 May, which is celebrated as the Day of Finnish Identity.