Elna Munch née Sarauw (13 June 1871 – 17 November 1945) was a Danish feminist and politician, (

Danish Social Liberal Party The Danish Social Liberal Party ( da, Radikale Venstre, , Radical Left) is a social-liberal political party in Denmark. The party was founded as a split from the Venstre Reform Party in 1905. Historically, the centrist party has played a cent ...

). She was the co-founder of the

Landsforbundet for Kvinders Valgret Landsforbundet for Kvinders Valgret or LKV (National Association for Women's Suffrage), was a Danish association for women's suffrage, active from 1907 until 1915. As the Danish Women's Society was initially not strongly committed to women's suff ...

( National Association for Women's Suffrage) or LKV (1907), the more radical of the two main Danish suffrage movements, and alongside Johanne Rambusch its leading member.

Biography

She was born to forester Conrad August Nicolaus Sarauw and Betzy Wilhelmine Hansen and was the younger sister of Clara Tybjerg (1864–1941). She was educated at the N. Zahle's School, studied mathematics at the Copenhagen University and became the second woman mathematician to graduate from a university after Thyra Eibe. She was a teacher at the school of

Marie Kruse Marie Caroline Ernestine Clementine Kruse (1842–1923) was a pioneering Danish schoolteacher and head teacher, principal, specializing in the education of girls. She also helped to establish and support several educational organisations for women ...

in 1900-1918 and married the politician Peter Rochegune Munch in 1902. She was the vice chairperson of the LKV from its foundation until its dissolution after the introduction of

women suffrage Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...

in 1915. She was the organiser of the local sections of the LKV, and represented Denmark at the congresses of the

International Woman Suffrage Alliance The International Alliance of Women (IAW; french: Alliance Internationale des Femmes, AIF) is an international non-governmental organization that works to promote women's rights and gender equality. It was historically the main international org ...

from 1906 to 1923. In 1918, when women could become candidates in national elections, she was one of the first four women to be elected to the

Folketing The Folketing ( da, Folketinget, ; ), also known as the Parliament of Denmark or the Danish Parliament in English, is the unicameral national legislature (parliament) of the Kingdom of Denmark—Denmark proper together with the Faroe Islands ...

(the Danish national parliament). She held her seat until 1935. She died on 17 November 1945 in Copenhagen.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Munch, Elna 1871 births 1945 deaths Danish feminists Danish suffragists Danish Social Liberal Party politicians People from Vordingborg Municipality 20th-century Danish women politicians