Åland State Provincial Office
The State Provincial Office on the Åland Islands (Länsstyrelsen på Åland) represented the central government of Finland within the Åland Islands region. It operated from 1918 until 2009.
Unique Functions Due to Autonomy
[edit]Åland possesses autonomy, which means it has self-governing powers. As a result, the functions of the State Provincial Office on Åland differed from those of similar offices in mainland Finland.
Typically, a State Provincial Office in mainland Finland served as a joint regional authority for seven different government ministries. On Åland, however, the State Provincial Office also represented other central government authorities that maintained separate agencies on the mainland. Conversely, certain responsibilities handled by provincial offices on the mainland were managed directly by the autonomous government of Åland, not the State Provincial Office.
Abolition and Replacement
[edit]In 2009, Finland abolished all its provinces and their corresponding State Provincial Offices. Consequently, the State Provincial Office on the Åland Islands was dissolved and replaced by a new entity, the State Department of Åland.
Governors (1918–2009)
[edit]The following individuals served as governors of the State Provincial Office during its existence:
- William Isaksson (1918–1922)
- Wilhelm Fagerlund (1922–1938)
- Torsten Rothberg (1938)
- Walter Johansson (acting, 1938)
- Ruben Österberg (1938–1945)
- Herman Koroleff (1945–1954)
- Tor Brenning (1954–1972)
- Martin Isaksson (1972–1982)
- Henrik Gustafsson (1982–1999)
- Peter Lindbäck (1999–2009)