Nelly Maria Thüring (21 June 1875, in

Vankiva Vankiva () is a locality situated in Hässleholm Municipality, Scania County, Sweden with 340 inhabitants in 2010. The society Besides the church (see below) Vankiva used to have a local store, gas station, train station and school (Vankiva Sch ...

– 2 January 1972, in Enskede), was a Swedish photographer and politician (

Social Democrat Social democracy is a political, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocating economic and social interventions to promote soc ...

). She was one of the first five women elected to the Swedish parliament in 1921.

Biography

Thüring was born the daughter of the farmer Nils Nilsson and Pernilla Persdotter in Vankiva, Sweden on 21 June 1875. She married the editor Johan Göransson in 1903, and divorced him in 1917. She took the name Thüring when she became active as a photographer. She was a shop clerk in 1890-96 and thereafter a photographer 1896–1933. In 1900, she opened a photo studio in Lund. In 1920 she sold the studio to focus solely on her political career. She was a member of the city council of Gothenburg in 1917–1920. In 1921, she became one of the five first women to be elected to the Swedish Parliament after women were allowed to vote. She was elected alongside Agda Östlund (Social Democrat), Bertha Wellin (Conservative) and Elisabeth Tamm (liberal) in the lower chamber, and

Kerstin Hesselgren Kerstin Hesselgren (14 January 1872 – 19 August 1962) was a Swedish politician. Hesselgren became the first woman to be elected into the Upper House of the Swedish Parliament after female suffrage was introduced in 1921. She was elected by sug ...

in the upper chamber. As an MP, Nelly Thüring focused on issues about international cooperation and the working conditions of female prison staff, and collaborated with other female MP:s on issues about a non-confessional school, child-and maternity care, and sexual education.Hundrade och en Göteborgskvinnor / Lisbeth Larsson (red). Arkiv i väst, 0283-4855 ; 22. Göteborg: Riksarkivet, Landsarkivet i Göteborg. 2018. sid. 209-211. Libris 22682935. She was described as sharp and witty during the debates, and opposed the suggestion to gender-mark the voting bills with the remark that if that would happen, she would start a women's party. In the 1920s, it was regarded as controversial by some for a woman to address sexual issues in public to a gender mixed audience, and initially, when such instances occurred, it was noted that some of the male MPs left the chamber in protest. She chose to leave her seat in 1928 because she did not particularly enjoy the forms of parliamentary work, which she found slow and tedious, and preferred to agitate (that is, to be a political activist by touring, making speeches and through political and social organisations) instead. She was a member of the central committee of Social Democratic Women in 1924-1928 and chairperson of the Enskede Social Democratic Women's Club in 1926–1928. Thüring died on 2 January 1972 in Stockholm.

Biography

References

Further reading