Marguerite Thomas-Clement (1886–1979) was a

Luxembourg Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...

women's rights activist and politician. She was the first woman to serve in Luxembourg's parliament. She was married to the socialist Xavier Thomas, and was herself a member of the socialist party. There was never any organized

women's 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 ...

movement in Luxembourg: women's suffrage was introduced in 1919 without any debate, as a part of the project of the new democratic constitution, and women's rights organizations mainly focused on educational opportunities. However, in 1917-1919, Marguerite Thomas-Clement was one of the few who spoke in favor of women's suffrage in public debates through articles in the press. In 1919, the first election after women's suffrage, she became the first woman elected to parliament, where she served until 1931. She remained the only woman parliamentarian until

Astrid Lulling Astrid Lulling (born 11 June 1929, in Schifflange) is a politician in Luxembourg. She was a Member of the European Parliament (1965–1974 and 1989–2014) for the Christian Social People's Party, part of the European People's Party. Positi ...

in 1965. During her tenure, she tried to defend the rights of female workers and prostitutes.

References

Renée Wagener Renée Wagener (born 1962) is a journalist, sociologist, historian, and former politician in Luxembourg. She served for 10 years in the country's Chamber of Deputies as a member of The Greens. Early life and education Renée Wagener was born ...

: "Marguerite Thomas-Clement, Sprecherin der Frauen: Die erste Luxemburger Abgeordnete." in: « Wenn nun wir Frauen auch das Wort ergreifen... ». Publications nationales, Lëtzebuerg, 1997. {{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas-Clement, Marguerite 1886 births 1979 deaths Luxembourgian women's rights activists Luxembourgian feminists 20th-century Luxembourgian women politicians 20th-century Luxembourgian politicians Socialist feminists Suffragists