Fanny Marie Annette Hjelmer born Raaschou (1869–1937) was a Danish

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...

activist and politician. In 1918, she became one of the first five women to be elected to the Landsting. She joined 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 Peac ...

in 1922, became a board member in 1925 and served as president from 1931 to 1936.

Biography

Born on 20 April 1869 in Bjerring, Fanny Marie Annette Raaschou was the daughter of Niels Peter Raaschou (1823–1890), a parish priest, and Fanny Eline Annette Grundtvig (1841–1879). She was brought up in her father's

rectory A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of religion. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, parsonage, rectory or vicarage. Function A clergy house is typically ow ...

, first in Bjerringbroegnen and later in Espe near Ringe on the island of

Funen Funen ( da, Fyn, ), with an area of , is the third-largest island of Denmark, after Zealand and Vendsyssel-Thy. It is the 165th-largest island in the world. It is located in the central part of the country and has a population of 469,947 as of ...

. As the oldest child, on her mother's death in 1879, she had to take care of her five siblings from the age of 10. After qualifying as a teacher at Marie Kruse's School 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 ...

, she went on to study French in Paris (1894). On returning to Denmark, she became a private tutor until her marriage in 1898 to Carl Frederik Hjelmer, a high-ranking police official, with whom she had three children. While raising her children, she assisted her father by working in the municipal offices in

Præstø Præstø () is a town with a population of 3,857 (1 January 2022) in Vordingborg Municipality in Region Sjælland on the east coast of the island of Zealand (''Sjælland''). The islands of '' Maderne'', ''Storeholm'', and ''Lilleholm'' are part ...

, gaining insights into local politics. In 1907, she met Elna Munch, a women's rights activist. As a result, in 1907 she joined the Præstø's Women's Suffrage Society (''Kvindevalgretsforening'') where she became the most active member. In 1909, the year women were first authorized to participate in local elections, she succeeded in being elected to represent the Social Liberal Party on the Council for Præstø Municipality. She was re-elected until 1919 when her husband was transferred to

Ringsted Ringsted is a city located centrally in the Danish island of Zealand. It is the seat of a municipality of the same name. Ringsted is situated approximately 60 km from Copenhagen. Tourism and transport Ringsted is one of Denmark's busiest ...

. In 1915, she became a member of the Danish Women's Society, first at the local level in Præstø and in Ringsted which she co-founded and chaired from 1922 to 1936. Encouraged by her political colleagues, in 1918 she was one of five women elected to the Landsting, the only female representative of the Social Liberals. She remained there for 18 years, supporting in particular improved conditions for women and children. She was also active at the international level, representing Denmark at the first conference of the

International Labour Organization The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice by setting international labour standards. Founded in October 1919 under the League of Nations, it is the first and o ...

, held in

Washington D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...

in 1919. In 1925, she became a board member of the Danish Women's Society, serving as president from 1931 to 1936. At a time when the organization was experiencing serious difficulties, she managed to reconcile the varying views of the younger and older members, paving the way for

Edel Saunte Edel Saunte (13 March 1904 in Næstved – 22 November 1991 in Helsingør) was a Danish jurist, social democratic politician and women's rights activist. Saunte received her law degree from the University of Copenhagen in 1925. In 1934 sh ...

to become president in 1936. She also contributed to the political image of the organization, contributing articles to '' Kvinden og Samfundet''. After experiencing serious health problems during her last year, Marie Hjelmer died on 5 January 1937 in Ringsted.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hjelmer, Marie 1869 births 1937 deaths Danish women's rights activists 20th-century Danish politicians 20th-century Danish women politicians People from Viborg Municipality