Henriette Arendt (11 November 1874 – 22 August 1922) was a German writer and policewoman. She is known because she was one of the earliest women to be a police officer, being a policewoman in 1903.
She was the aunt of philosopher and historian
Hannah Arendt
Hannah Arendt (, , ; 14 October 1906 – 4 December 1975) was a political philosopher, author, and Holocaust survivor. She is widely considered to be one of the most influential political theorists of the 20th century.
Arendt was born ...
.
Early life
Arendt was born in
Königsberg
Königsberg (, ) was the historic Prussian city that is now Kaliningrad, Russia. Königsberg was founded in 1255 on the site of the ancient Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teutonic Knights during the Northern Crusades, and was named ...
in 1873. Her father, Max, was a
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
merchant. Arendt was educated in her home town before she completed her studies in Geneva and Berlin. She could speak German, Russian, French and Italian fluently. She became a nurse.
Law enforcement career
Arendt's entry into the police was unusual. She had approached a prison doctor to ask if there were vacancies for nurses in the prison hospital. He told her that there were none, and jokingly mentioned that the police were looking for an old woman to supervise arrested women in the cells.
Despite being only 28 years age, Arendt applied and was given the job. Negotiation was required to arrive at the job title of "Police Assistant". She is known because she was a policewoman in 1903 in
Stuttgart
Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...
, as well as the only policewoman in Europe.
Arendt was enthusiastic about her role; this caused conflict with her employers. She learned English and introduced herself as Europe's only policewoman.
[ She had been hired to help with arrests of suspected prostitutes, but she gave talks and published essays on the problems she saw. Eventually, Arendt resigned under pressure from her superiors.History]
, European Network of Policewomen, in German, retrieved 22 January 2015
She subsequently moved to Switzerland where she worked in support of orphaned children and campaigned against the international
trafficking of children
Trafficking of children is a form of human trafficking and is defined by the United Nations as the "recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring, and/or receipt" kidnapping of a child for the purpose of slavery, forced labour and exploitation. ...
.
[ She reported on her work in particular in ''Erlebnisse einer Polizeiassistentin'' (1910).]Mainz
Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main (river), Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-we ...
in 1922.
References
Bibliography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Arendt, Henriette
1874 births
1922 deaths
Writers from Königsberg
Women police officers
German women writers
German police officers