Nanna Kristensen-Randers née Berg (1864–1908) was a

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish ance ...

lawyer and

folk high school Folk high schools (also ''Adult Education Center'', Danish: ''Folkehøjskole;'' Dutch: ''Volkshogeschool;'' Finnish: ''kansanopisto'' and ''työväenopisto'' or ''kansalaisopisto;'' German: ''Volkshochschule'' and (a few) ''Heimvolkshochschule;'' ...

administrator. In 1887, she became the first Danish woman to receive a law diploma. From 1894, she assisted her husband, J.P. Kristensen-Randers, in running

Ollerup Ollerup is a town located on the island of Funen in south-central Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_typ ...

Højskole 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 ...

Early life and education

Born on 3 November 1864 on the island of Bogø, Nanna Berg was the daughter of the politician Chresten Poulsen Berg (1829–91) and the publisher Maren Bertelsen (1836–1906). She was brought up in a Grundtvegian milieu, her father being the founder of Bogø's Navigation School. In 1876, she moved with her family to Hillerød where he mother looked after her while her father became involved in publishing and politics. When the family settled 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 ...

in 1884, she attended

N. Zahle's School N. Zahle's School (Danish: N. Zahles Skole) is a private school located on Nørre Voldgade in Copenhagen, Denmark. Named after its founder, Natalie Zahle (1827–1913), it now consists of two independently run primary schools and a Gymnasium. Hi ...

where she was said to have been extraordinarily hard-working and gifted.

Career

Berg was the first woman in Denmark to receive a legal qualification from the

University of Copenhagen The University of Copenhagen ( da, Københavns Universitet, KU) is a prestigious public university, public research university in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in ...

. In 1887, she successfully completed the course introduced under the political reforms to solve the problem of inadequate manning of the lower courts of law. She worked for the established lawyer Svend Høgsbro (1855–1910) who allowed her to represent him in court. Despite his efforts, as a woman she was however not permitted to work in high courts such as Østre Landsret and

Højesteret The Supreme Court (, lit. ''Highest Court'', , ) is the supreme court and the third and final instance in all civil and criminal cases in the Kingdom of Denmark. It is based at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen which also houses the Danish Par ...

. This state of affairs continued until 1909 when

Henny Magnussen Henny Sophie Magnussen née Petersen (1878–1937) was a Danish lawyer, the first woman to be permitted to work in the high courts of Denmark after successfully graduating from the University of Copenhagen in 1905. She rallied support from members ...

was permitted to follow the full university law course leading to the degree cand.jur. Following in her father's footsteps, Nanna Berg worked for a time as his secretary. She became an active member of 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 ...

, lecturing at various folk high schools and colleges, including the one at Ollerup. There she met J.P. Kristensen-Randers whom she married in 1890. The couple acquired the school in 1894 and expanded it. Kristensen-Randers became the matron for some 150 borders and handled the school accounts. The school became one of the most popular colleges in Denmark. In the mid-1890s, she began to suffer from

asthma Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, cou ...

. Nanna Kristensen-Randers died in Ollerup on 15 April 1908. She is buried in Ollerup Cemetery.

References

1864 births 1908 deaths 19th-century Danish lawyers 20th-century Danish lawyers Danish women lawyers Danish schoolteachers 19th-century Danish educators 19th-century Danish women educators 20th-century women lawyers 19th-century women lawyers {{Denmark-bio-stub