Martha Emily Larsen Jahn (17 April 1875 – 2 August 1954) was a Norwegian peace and women's activist. She was born in Christiania as a daughter of wholesaler Christian Larsen (1842–1905) and Sanda Plate (1851–1879). In April 1911 she married Gunnar Jahn, politician and director of Statistics Norway. After finishing her secondary education in 1895, she studied languages in Scotland and Germany from 1895 to 1896. She worked as an office clerk from 1897, then at the

Deichman Library Oslo Public Library (officially called in Norwegian ''Deichman bibliotek'', Deichman Library) is the municipal public library serving Oslo, Norway and is the country's first and largest library. It employs over 300 people and has over 20 branches ...

from 1898, completing a librarian's education at

New York State Library School The New York State Library School was a school of library science. Melvil Dewey established the school at Columbia University. Many of the school's records are currently held at Columbia University. In 1889, it was moved to Albany, New York ...

in 1902. She then worked at Trondhjem Public Library from 1902 to 1911, meeting and marrying her husband in the city, then as secretary at the

Norwegian National Academy of Craft and Art Industry The National College of Art and Design ( no, Statens håndverks- og kunstindustriskole) was established in 1818. In 1996 the National College of Art and Design became part of Oslo National Academy of the Arts The Oslo National Academy of the A ...

. From 1910 to 1913 she worked for the Ministry of Education and Church Affairs as an inspector of public libraries. From 1915 she had no paid job, spending all her time on volunteer organizational work. In 1915 she became a board member of , the Norwegian branch of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom which was founded in the same year. From 1919 to 1929 she was also a board member of the international organization, and from 1925 to 1934 she chaired the Norwegian branch. In 1949 she became an honorary member. She was also a Norwegian delegate to the

League of Nations The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...

from 1925 to 1927, working committee of the

Norwegian Women's Public Health Association The Norwegian Women's Public Health Association (''Norske Kvinners Sanitetsforening'') or NKS is the largest women's organisation and one of the leading humanitarian organisations of Norway. It is open to women and men and was founded on the i ...

from 1925 and chair from 1935 to 1948. Significant results during her time as an activist include a signature campaign of 80,000 participants for a disarmament conference in 1932, and the doubling of Women's Public Health Association membership from about 100,000 to 200,000. Under Jahn's leadership, the Women's Public Health Association also managed to stay independent during the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany. She died in August 1954 in Oslo.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Jahn, Martha Larsen 1875 births 1954 deaths 20th-century Norwegian politicians 20th-century Norwegian women politicians Norwegian women's rights activists League of Nations people Norwegian librarians Women librarians New York State Library School alumni Norwegian anti-war activists Norwegian resistance members Norwegian feminists Pacifist feminists Women's International League for Peace and Freedom people

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References