Hulda Dóra Jakobsdóttir (1911 – 1998) was the first woman in Iceland to become a mayor. She served as mayor of

Kópavogur Kópavogur () is a town in Iceland that is the country's second-largest municipality by population. It lies immediately south of Reykjavík and is part of the Capital Region (Iceland), Capital Region. The name literally means ''seal pup inlet''. ...

from 1957 to 1962, where she actively influenced the town's development. In the 1970 elections, she was elected as a councillor for the

Union of Liberals and Leftists The Union of Liberals and Leftists () was a social-liberal political party in Iceland. History The party was established in 1969 by dissidents from the People's Alliance who had formerly been members of the National Preservation Party.Vincent ...

, serving until 1974.

Biography

Born in

Reykjavík Reykjavík is the Capital city, capital and largest city in Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland on the southern shore of Faxaflói, the Faxaflói Bay. With a latitude of 64°08′ N, the city is List of northernmost items, the worl ...

on 21 October 1911, Hulda Dóra Jakobsdóttir was the daughter of the engineer Jakob Guðjón Bjarnason and his wife Guðrún Sesselja Ármannsdóttir. She was the eldest of five siblings. After completing high school in Reykjavík, she studied at the

University of Iceland The University of Iceland ( ) is a public research university in Reykjavík, Iceland, and the country's oldest and largest institution of higher education. Founded in 1911, it has grown steadily from a small civil servants' school to a modern co ...

where she earned a master's degree (

cand.phil. Candidate of Philosophy can refer to the US degree or status of Candidate in Philosophy (C.Phil. or Ph.C.) granted to Ph.D. students who have been accepted as candidates for that degree, or (as a direct translation) to degrees or former degrees at ...

) in 1932. In 1938, she married Finnbogi Rútur Valdimarsson. Two years later they moved to Marbakki in Kópavogur where they raised five children. Both she and her husband became involved in the administrative affairs of Kópavogur which gained the status of a town in 1955. Hulda was elected mayor on 4 June 1957 and remained in office until 1962. She was the first woman in Iceland to become a mayor. Under her leadership, the town developed considerably with a school, Kópavogskirkja church, social centre and swimming pool. She also served as a local representative in Kópavogur from 1970 to 1974. For her services to local government, she was honoured with the

Order of the Falcon The Order of the Falcon () is the only order of chivalry in Iceland, founded by Christian X of Denmark, King Christian X of Denmark and Iceland on 3 July 1921. The award is awarded for merit for Iceland and humanity and has five degrees. Nowaday ...

in 1994. She died at Marbakki on 31 October 1998.

References

Hulda Jakobsdottir Hulda Jakobsdottir Hulda Jakobsdottir Hulda Jakobsdottir 1911 births 1998 deaths {{Iceland-bio-stub