Olga Johanne Budtz (21 September 1915 – 5 March 2004) was a Danish
Conservative People's Party politician and lawyer who served as an elected member of the
Folketing
The Folketing ( da, Folketinget, ; ), also known as the Parliament of Denmark or the Danish Parliament in English, is the unicameral national legislature (parliament) of the Kingdom of Denmark—Denmark proper together with the Faroe Islands ...
from 1953 to 1973. She worked as an assistant solicitor at
Nykøbing Falster
Nykøbing Falster (; originally named Nykøbing) is a southern Danish city, seat of the Guldborgsund ''kommune''. It belongs to Region Sjælland. The city lies on Falster, connected by the Frederick IX Bridge over the Guldborgsund (''Guldb ...
before becoming secretary at the Directorate of Patents and Trademarks and the Directorate of Commodity Supply. Budtz was national chair of the
Danish Women's Society
The Danish Women's Society or DWS ( da, Dansk Kvindesamfund) is Denmark's oldest women's rights organization. It was founded in 1871 by activist Matilde Bajer and her husband Fredrik Bajer; Fredrik was a Member of Parliament and the 1908 Nobel Pea ...
from 1951 to 1956 and focused on single mothers, child allowances, part-time work and the end of joint taxation. In the Folketing, she focused on children's, family and women's rights, and was chair of the Conservative People's Party's Women's Committee from 1964 until 1974. Budtz was appointed
Knight of the Order of the Dannebrog
The Order of the Dannebrog ( da, Dannebrogordenen) is a Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single class known ...
in 1965 and was upgraded to Knight First Class of the Order of the Dannebrog six years later.
Early life
On 21 September 1915, Budtz was born in
Maribo
Maribo is a town in Lolland Municipality in Region Sjælland on the island of Lolland in south Denmark. It was the municipal seat of the former Maribo Municipality, until 1 January 2007, and then it became the seat of the current Lolland Muni ...
.
She was the daughter of the tanner Carl Peter Poulsen and Anne Kirstine Elisabeth Bramsen.
Budtz had five siblings and her parents were conservative in business. She became interested in the cause of women through her mother who worked for the
Danish Women's Society
The Danish Women's Society or DWS ( da, Dansk Kvindesamfund) is Denmark's oldest women's rights organization. It was founded in 1871 by activist Matilde Bajer and her husband Fredrik Bajer; Fredrik was a Member of Parliament and the 1908 Nobel Pea ...
.
In 1933, Budtz became a student at ,
[ and graduated with a ]Candidate of Law
Candidate of Law (Latin: ''candidatus/candidata juris/iuris'') is both a graduate law degree awarded to law students in the Nordic region as well as an academic status designation for advanced Law School students in German-speaking countries.
N ...
degree from University of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen ( da, Københavns Universitet, KU) is a prestigious public university, public research university in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in ...
six years later.[
]
Career
Following graduation, she worked as an assistant solicitor at Nykøbing Falster
Nykøbing Falster (; originally named Nykøbing) is a southern Danish city, seat of the Guldborgsund ''kommune''. It belongs to Region Sjælland. The city lies on Falster, connected by the Frederick IX Bridge over the Guldborgsund (''Guldb ...
in 1939.[ In 1940, Budtz was secretary at the Directorate of Patents and Trademarks and was later secretary of the Directorate of Commodity Supply between 1942 and 1945 as well as its assistant lawyer in 1943.][ She was appointed a district court lawyer lawyer in ]Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
in 1945,[ and was permitted to sit in the ]Supreme Court
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
as one in her position could from 1947. Budtz was afflicated with the Student Legal Aid and the DK Counselling Office from the late 1940s, sharing an office with lawyer Lizzi Moesgaard starting from 1951 that allowed Budzt to have more freedom to pursue her political and women's rights goals.[
Between 1951 and 1956, Budtz was the national chairman of the ]Danish Women's Society
The Danish Women's Society or DWS ( da, Dansk Kvindesamfund) is Denmark's oldest women's rights organization. It was founded in 1871 by activist Matilde Bajer and her husband Fredrik Bajer; Fredrik was a Member of Parliament and the 1908 Nobel Pea ...
,[ taking over from fellow lawyer and conservative Erna Sørensen.][ She contended with major agenda issues such as single mothers, child allowances, part-time work and the end of joint taxation.][ From 1950 to 1959, Budtz was a consultant for Statsradiofonien,][ specially the women's afternoon programme.][ She was a government delegate at the international working conferences in Geneva every year from 1951 to 1953. Budtz was a member of the board of and was a member of Frederiksberg Municipal Council between 1958 and 1964 and again from 1974 to 1978.][ She served on the and on its program committee from 1959 to 1968.][
At the 1950 Danish Folketing election, Budtz unsuccessfully stood for election in the ]Folketing
The Folketing ( da, Folketinget, ; ), also known as the Parliament of Denmark or the Danish Parliament in English, is the unicameral national legislature (parliament) of the Kingdom of Denmark—Denmark proper together with the Faroe Islands ...
constituency of Nørrebro as a member of the Conservative People's Party but gained election to the seat at the 1953 Danish Folketing election on 21 April 1953.[ She focused on children's, family and women's issues, did lectures on family polic,y and was chair of the Conservative People's Party's Women's Committee from 1964 until 1974 as well as being a member of the Women's Commission between 1965 and 1974. Budtz was the party's spokesperson on legislation on marriage in an era when marriage was threatened by youth rebellion and sexual liberalisation. She argued for the importance of women to select their own names when the Names Act of 1961, that entitled women to retain their maiden names upon being married, was being debated. Budtz opposed the party leader and future Minister of Finance Poul Møller's position on taxation, believing it would discourage marriage and be unfair to women. She lobbied for free abortions and improved education; Budtz was chair of the committee of the Termination of Pregnancy Act 1970 that eased access for select groups to get an abortion.][
Budtz was an advocate of breaking up the state monopoly and allowing for competition, separating radio and television and introducing democratic representation to go alongside listeners' associations.][ She argued for more broadcasts of modern drama and boxing matches; Budtz was critical of some anti-American broadcasts.][ She believed that the makers of programmes take responsibility for their own broadcasts and that the Radio Council should only decide on matters of principle and political transmissions. Budtz began debates about the broadcast of election messages on radio and she argued for the need for pre-election curfews. She was an advocate for liberalisation and free competition in the cinema and other forms of entertainment.][ From 6 February 1968 to 13 December 1973, Budtz was a Member of the Bureau of the Folketing and she was a state auditor between 8 October 1969 and 30 September 1974.][ She lost her seat in the Folketing on 4 December 1973,][ when the Conservative People's Party lost 15 seats at the 1973 Danish general election. From 1974 to 1980, Budtz was a member of the .][ She wrote the family law handbooks ''The Rights of Women in Marriage – and of Men'' in 1968 and ''About Deaths'' in 1984.][
]
Personal life
From 23 August 1945 to 6 June 1972, she was married to the engineer Otto Johan Budtz.[ Budtz was appointed ]Knight of the Order of the Dannebrog
The Order of the Dannebrog ( da, Dannebrogordenen) is a Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single class known ...
in 1965 and was upgraded to Knight First Class of the Order of the Dannebrog six years later.[ She died on 5 March 2004 and was given a burial at Maribo Cemetery.][
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Budtz, Hanne
1915 births
2004 deaths
People from Lolland Municipality
20th-century Danish women politicians
21st-century Danish women
Danish women lawyers
University of Copenhagen alumni
Women members of the Folketing
Members of the Folketing 1968–1971
Members of the Folketing 1971–1973
Conservative People's Party (Denmark) politicians
Knights First Class of the Order of the Dannebrog