Urho Kaleva Kekkonen ( September 3 1900 â `` August 31 1986 ) was the President of Finland between 1956 and 1982 . He was also Prime Minister of Finland before that . Urho Kaleva Kekkonen ( ; 3 September 1900 -- 31 August 1986 ) was a Finnish politician who served as Prime Minister of Finland ( 1950 â `` 1953 , 1954 â `` 1956 ) and later as the eighth President of Finland ( 1956 -- 1982 ) .