Riitta Uosukainen

Riitta Maria Uosukainen (née Vainikka; 18 June 1942, Jääski, Viipuri Province, Finland (now Svetogorsk, Leningrad Oblast, Russia)) is a Finnish politician and former Member of Parliament. She is one of the eight people to gain the highest honorary title, Counselor of State, given by the President.

Riitta Uosukainen
Riitta Uosukainen in 2013
Speaker of the Parliament of Finland
In office 7 February 1994 – 21 April 1995
In office 7 February 1995 – 23 March 1999
In office 20 April 1999 – 18 March 2003
Minister of Education
In office 26 April 1991 – 10 February 1994
Preceded by	Ole Norrback
Succeeded by	Olli-Pekka Heinonen
Member of the Finnish Parliament
In office 26 March 1983 – 18 March 2003
Constituency	Kymi
Personal details
Born	Riitta Maria Vainikka (1942-04-18) 18 April 1942 Jääski, Finland
Political party	National Coalition Party
Alma mater	University of Helsinki

Uosukainen and Vladimir Putin in 2001

Uosukainen worked as editor of the Kustannus Oy Tammi publishing house 1965–1966, before beginning university studies. She graduated with a Licentiate in Philosophy in 1970. She also worked as a teacher from 1969, becoming a Senior Teacher in 1971. She continued her career in education by becoming a Lecturer in Finnish language didactics at the University of Joensuu in 1976. She also served as Regional Teacher Educator in Finnish from 1976 to 1983.

She began her political career in 1977 when she was elected to Imatra Town Council, retaining that post until 1992, before being elected to the Finnish Parliament in 1983 for the National Coalition Party. She remained as a member of parliament until 2003.[1]

Uosukainen was Minister of Education (1991–1994), National Coalition Party presidential candidate in 2000, and Speaker of the Finnish Parliament almost continuously from 1994 to 2003.