Bertha Harriet Nordenson (1857–1928) was a devoted Swedish

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...

activist and

suffragist Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise, is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to v ...

. From the late 1880s, she supported women's emancipation, becoming a member and later a board member of the

Married Woman's Property Rights Association The Married Woman Property Association (Swedish: Föreningen för gift kvinnas äganderätt), was a Swedish women's rights organisation active in Sweden between 1873 and 1896. Its purpose was to work for the introduction of reformed laws in favor o ...

(Föreningen för gift kvinnas äganderätt). When it was incorporated into the

Fredrika Bremer Association The Fredrika Bremer Association ( sv, Fredrika Bremer Förbundet, abbreviated FBF) is the oldest women's rights organisation in Sweden. The association stands for an inclusive, intersectional and progressive liberal feminism, and advocates for wome ...

(Fredrika Bremer Förbundet), Nordenson joined the standing committee on the legal position of women and was later elected to the board. As a result, she also became a significant contributor to the National Council of Swedish Women (Svenska kvinnors nationalförbund). Taking an active interest in medical care, from 1908 she chaired Föreningen för sjukvård i fattiga hem (Society for Home Medical Care for the Poor). For her extensive services to the

Swedish Red Cross The Swedish Red Cross (Swedish: ''Svenska Röda Korset'') is a Swedish humanitarian organisation and a member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. Founded in 1865, its purpose is to prevent and alleviate human suffering where ...

, she was awarded the gold medal.

Early life

Born in London on 25 September 1857, Bertha Harriet Nordenson was one of the five daughters of the timber and iron industrialist Johan Gustaf Carl Pontus Kleman (1817–1903) and his wife Bertha Amalia née Hierta (1836–1926). In 1882, she married the eminent ophthalmologist Erik Wilhelm Nordenson (1847–1919), with whom she had five children. Brought up by a prosperous family in London, Paris and the south of France, she received a good education, developing fluency in English, French and German. She frequently spent her holidays in Sweden with her maternal grandparents, the newspaper publisher

Lars Johan Hierta Lars Johan Hierta (; 22 January 1801 – 20 November 1872) was a Swedish newspaper publisher, social critic, businessman and politician. He is best known as the founder of the newspaper ''Aftonbladet'' in 1830. Hierta was a leading agitator for p ...

and his wife Wilhelmina, who contributed to her proficiency in Swedish.

Career

After living in Paris after their marriage, the couple returned to Swedish when Bertha was 30, settling in Stockholm. In addition to raising a family, she became increasingly involved in the fight for women's emancipation together with several of her female relatives. In particular, she became an active member of the Married Woman's Property Rights Association which had been established by her aunt, the women's rights reformer

Anna Hierta-Retzius Anna Wilhelmina Hierta-Retzius, née ''Hierta'' (24 August 1841 – 21 December 1924), was a Swedish women's rights activist and philanthropist. She was the co-founder and secretary of the ''Married Woman's Property Rights Association'' (1873), fo ...

. When it merged with the Fredrika Bremer Association, Nordenson served on the committee on the legal position of women, later becoming a board member. In that capacity, she was one of the signatories of the petition of women's suffrage delivered to the king in 1899. Together with her cousin Ellen Kleman, she was also an active member of the National Association for Women's Suffrage. In that capacity, in 1911 she helped to organize the Sixth Conference of the International Woman Suffrage Alliance which was held in Stockholm. She was also a significant contributor to the National Council of Swedish Women which she chaired from 1921 until 1927 when she resigned suffering from poor health. Taking an active interest in medical care, from 1908 she chaired Föreningen för sjukvård i fattiga hem (Society for Home Medical Care for the Poor). For her extensive services to the

, she was awarded the association's gold medal. Bertha Nordenson died in Stockholm on 24 January 1928.

Early life

Career

References

Further reading