Marie Tůmová (12 June 1866 – 1 May 1925) was a

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus' Places *Czech, ...

women's suffragist and a teacher. In 1908, using a legal loophole, Tůmová was among the first three women to unsuccessfully run to be elected to the

Bohemian Diet The Bohemian Diet ( cs, Český zemský sněm, german: Böhmischer Landtag) was the parliament of the Kingdom of Bohemia within the Austro-Hungarian Empire between 1861 and Czechoslovak independence in 1918. The Diet during the Absolutist Per ...

Career

Teaching

Marie Tůmová worked as a teacher and, during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, became the principal of a municipal girls' school in

Žižkov Žižkov is a cadastral district of Prague, Czech Republic. Most of Žižkov lies in the municipal and administrative district of Prague 3, except for very small parts which are in Prague 8 and Prague 10. Prior to 1922, Žižkov was an indepen ...

– a first woman to helm a municipal school in Bohemia. In 1919–1925, she worked on behalf of the Czechoslovak Ministry of Education in

Carpathian Ruthenia Carpathian Ruthenia ( rue, Карпатьска Русь, Karpat'ska Rus'; uk, Закарпаття, Zakarpattia; sk, Podkarpatská Rus; hu, Kárpátalja; ro, Transcarpatia; pl, Zakarpacie); cz, Podkarpatská Rus; german: Karpatenukrai ...

and Slovakia, but malnutrition and bad living conditions led to a fatal illness. Feminists at the Seventh Conference of the International Woman Suffrage Alliance hosted in Budapest, 1913 with text

Feminists at the Seventh Conference of the International Woman Suffrage Alliance hosted in Budapest, 1913 with text

Activism

Tůmová advocated for women's rights and was a member of Czech women's and teachers' associations, such as

Women's National Council Women's National Council ( cs, Ženská národní rada (ŽNR)), 1923–1942, was the only women's umbrella organization in Czechoslovakia and only official women's collective which existed in the country until after 1990. As such, it was the most si ...

She was friends with a fellow teacher and suffragist

Františka Plamínková Františka Plamínková (1875–1942) was a Czech feminist and suffrage activist. Trained as a teacher, she became involved in feminism because teachers were forbidden to marry. She transitioned into journalism, writing articles about inequality. ...

, with whom she worked in the Committee for Women's Suffrage. Tůmová represented the committee abroad, traveling to Stockholm, Rome, Bucharest, Budapest and London. In 1908, using a legal loophole, the Committee for Women's Suffrage nominated Tůmová in the elections for the Bohemian assembly. Thus, together with Karla Máchová and

Božena Zelinková Božena Zelinková (21 May 1869 – 18 June 1936) was a Czech teacher and women's rights activist. Biography Zelinková was born in Semtěš in 1869. In 1908, using a legal loophole, together with Karla Máchová and Marie Tůmová, she was amo ...

, Tůmová was among the first three women to run for the

. She ran in the

Vysoké Mýto Vysoké Mýto (; german: Hohenmaut, also ''Hohenmauth'') is a town in Ústí nad Orlicí District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 12,000 inhabitants. Its town square is the largest example of its type in the country. T ...

Skuteč Skuteč (; german: Skutsch) is a town in Chrudim District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 5,000 inhabitants. Administrative parts Villages of Borek, Hněvětice, Lažany, Lešany, Lhota u Skutče, Nová Ves, Radčice, ...

Hlinsko Hlinsko () is a town in Chrudim District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 9,400 inhabitants. It is the natural centre of a microregion called ''Hlinecko''. The local part of Betlém is well preserved example of folk arch ...

voting district and received around 200 votes. None of the women candidates secured a seat in the assembly, but the general public was shocked by how many votes had been cast in their favour. The committee ran Tůmová for the next elections as well, but with similar results. Eventually, it was Božena Viková-Kunětická who became the first woman elected to the Bohemian Diet.

Personal life

Marie Tůmová was born in Prague in 1866. Her parents were the journalist, writer and politician Karel Tůma and Marie Čelakovská, whose father was the poet

František Čelakovský František Ladislav Čelakovský (7 March 1799 Strakonice - 5 August 1852 Prague) was a Czech poet, translator, linguist, and literary critic. He was a major figure in the Czech "national revival". His most notable works are ''Ohlas písní rusk ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tumova, Marie Czech suffragists Czech schoolteachers People from Prague 1866 births 1925 deaths Educators from Austria-Hungary