Order of the White Rose of Finland

The Order of the White Rose of Finland (Suomen Valkoisen Ruusun ritarikunta; Finlands Vita Ros’ orden) is one of three official orders in Finland, along with the Order of the Cross of Liberty, and the Order of the Lion of Finland. The President of Finland is the Grand Master of all three orders. The orders are administered by boards consisting of a chancellor, a vice-chancellor and at least four members. The orders of the White Rose of Finland and the Lion of Finland have a joint board.

The Order of the White Rose of Finland was established by Gustaf Mannerheim in his capacity as regent (temporary head of state) on January 28, 1919. The name comes from the nine roses argent in the coat of arms of Finland. The order's rules and regulations were confirmed on May 16, 1919, and its present rules date from June 1, 1940. The revised scale of ranks was confirmed most recently in 1985. The original decorations were designed by Akseli Gallen-Kallela. The swastikas of the collar was replaced by fir crosses in 1963, designed by heraldic artist Gustaf von Numers. The honour can be granted for military as well as civilian merit. The ribbon for all classes is ultramarine. The motto of the Order appears on the medallion and is Isänmaan hyväksi, which means in Finnish: "For the Well-Being of the Fatherland".

The President of Finland wears the Grand Cross of the White Rose of Finland with Collar (a neck chain). The Collar is worn four centimetres from either side and hangs at equal distances at the front and back. To the Grand Cross, like also to the Commander marks is awarded with the Brisket Star.

Classes
The classes of the Order of the White Rose of Finland are:


 * FIN Order of the White Rose Grand Cross BAR.png Grand Cross of the White Rose of Finland with Collar
 * FIN Order of the White Rose Grand Cross BAR.png Grand Cross of the White Rose of Finland
 * FIN Order of the White Rose Commander 1st Class BAR.png First Class Commander of the White Rose of Finland
 * FIN Order of the White Rose Commander BAR.png Commander of the White Rose of Finland
 * FIN Order of the White Rose Knight 1st Class BAR.png First Class Knight of the White Rose of Finland
 * Order of the White Rose Ribbon.PNG Knight of the White Rose of Finland
 * FIN Cross of Merit of the Order of the White Rose BAR.png Cross of Merit of the White Rose of Finland
 * FIN Medal 1st Class of the Order of the White Rose BAR.png First Class Medal of the White Rose of Finland with golden cross
 * FIN Medal 2nd Class of the Order of the White Rose BAR.png First Class Medal of the White Rose of Finland
 * FIN Medal 3rd Class of the Order of the White Rose BAR.png Medal of the White Rose of Finland

Recipients
Generally the Grand Cross with Collar is awarded only to foreign heads of state, e.g. to Charles de Gaulle (1962), Josip Broz Tito (1963) and King Birendra of Nepal (1988). Prime Ministers of Finland customarily receive the Grand Cross. (Certain leftist politicians refused the cross or didn't wear it, and the transient term in office of Anneli Jäätteenmäki did not lead to the President awarding the cross.)

List

 * Ernesto Burzagli, 1926.
 * Edward Rydz-Śmigły
 * Walther von Brauchitsch, 1939
 * Norman Cameron Moore, 1941
 * Josef Veltjens, 1941
 * Eduard Dietl, 1941
 * Thomas Beecham, 1955
 * John Fawcett, 1958
 * Jarl Lindfors, 1960
 * Charles de Gaulle, 1962
 * Josip Broz Tito, 1963
 * Greta Kukkonen, 1967
 * Anne, Princess Royal, 1969
 * Arthur Lydiard, 1972
 * Carl XVI Gustaf
 * Leonid Brezhnev, 1976
 * Olli Mannermaa, 1979
 * Arthur J. Collingsworth, 1984
 * Elwin Svenson, 2004
 * Executive Director - International Programs, FEMBA/GAP programs, UCLA Anderson School of Management; as a First Class Knight, on December 11, 2004 "for assisting the expansion of Finnish start-up companies through the UCLA Anderson's Global Access Program."


 * James Cathey, 2007
 * Tim Purcell, 2008
 * Managing Director, KIX Consulting Group, President and Board Member of Finland Australia Chamber of Commerce. Knight 1st Class awarded 3 October 2008, presented in NSW Parliament House 6 Dec 2008 by the Finnish Ambassador Glenn Lindholm for fostering bilateral relationships between Australia and Finland Government, Business and Academia in the area of innovation.


 * Jim Gilleran, 2008
 * Managing Director - Finnforest USA on 2008 September 12.


 * Mart Laar, 2009
 * Rajendra Kumar Pachauri, 2010
 * Bob Foster, 2011
 * Professor, Director - GAP, UCLA Anderson School of Management; as a First Class Knight, on December 09, 2011 "in recognition of his efforts, through the GAP program, to help Finnish technology companies expand into markets abroad, including the United States" and their advancement "further in corporate development."

Special honors

 * Grand Cross with collar, jewels and swords was awarded only once, to Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim 4 June 1944.
 * Grand Cross with jewels, to three Finns: Senator Otto Stenroth 1938, Foreign Minister Carl Enckell 1946 and Jean Sibelius 1950.
 * Grand Cross with swords has been awarded to three Finnish Lieutenant Generals: Hjalmar Siilasvuo, Edvard Hanell and Aksel Airo. The decoration has also been awarded to a number of foreign high officers, such as the German Colonel General Eduard Dietl.