Senate of Finland

The Senate of Finland combined the functions of cabinet and supreme court, first in the Grand Duchy of Finland under the Russian emperor and, from 1917, in independent Finland. It was established in 1809 as the Governing Council of the Grand Duchy, renamed the Imperial Senate of Finland in 1816 and dissolved in 1918. It had two divisions. The Judicial Division served as the country's supreme court, while the Economic Division acted as the government and ran general administration through expeditions that were the forerunners of the ministries. The Governor-General was formally chairman but seldom exercised the office, and from 1822 each division was in practice led by its own vice-chairman. The senators, so called from 1857, were appointed by the emperor for three years at a time and answered to him alone until the Diet gained responsibility over the Economic Division in 1917. On 6 December 1917 the senate under Pehr Evind Svinhufvud declared independence. In 1918 the Judicial Division became the Supreme Court, a new Supreme Administrative Court took over administrative appeals, and the Senate was renamed the Government.