Félicie Erpelding-Schlesser (27 May 1883 – 6 January 1970) was a Luxembourgish municipal politician. She was the first female member of the municipal council of

Ettelbrück Ettelbruck ( , ) is a commune with town status in central Luxembourg, with a population of inhabitants. History Until 1850, both Erpeldange and Schieren were part of the Ettelbruck commune as well, but both towns were detached from Ettelbru ...

and vice-president of the Association of Municipal Councillors of the Worker's Party.

Biography

Erpelding-Schlesser was born on 27 May 1883 in

Oberfeulen Oberfeulen (, ; ) is a small town in the commune of Feulen, in central Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany ...

, Luxembourg. Her parents were schoolteacher Peter Schlesser and his wife Margaretha Schlesser (). In 1905, Erpelding-Schlesser married the locomotive driver François Erpelding lb">:lb:François_Erpelding_(Eisebunner)">lbin

Hollerich Hollerich (, ) is a quarter in south-western Luxembourg City, in southern Luxembourg. , the quarter has a population of 7,781 inhabitants. Hollerich railway station is located on CFL Line 70, which connects Luxembourg City to the south-west ...

. He was a member of the Chamber of Deputies from 1920 to 1940, firstly for the Kartell Party and secondly for the Workers' Party (the forerunner of

Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party The Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party (, , ), abbreviated to LSAP or POSL, is a social democratic, pro-European political party in Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Eu ...

). They had three children. On 24 September 1921, Erpelding-Schlesser became the first female member of the municipal council of Ettelbrück. She was re-elected in 1924 and was also elected the vice-president of the Association of Municipal Councillors of the Workers' Party. She lost her seat in the 1928 elections. Erpelding-Schlesser was widowed when her husband died on 2 February 1961. She died on 6 January 1970 in

Esch-sur-Alzette Esch-sur-Alzette (, ; ; or ''Esch an der Alzig'') is a city in Luxembourg and the country's List of communes of Luxembourg by population, second-most populous commune, with a population of 36,625 inhabitants, . It lies in the south-west of the ...

, Luxembourg. They were both buried in Oberfeulen.

Legacy

A street in Ettelbrück has been named in her honour in 2015. To celebrate the occasion of the centenary of universal suffrage, a bronze sculpture of Erpelding-Schlesser exercising her right to vote was unveiled in Ettelbruck in 2021. The statue was made by Nadine Zangarini and was commissioned by the National Council of Women in Luxembourg.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Erpelding-Schlesser, Félicie 1883 births 1970 deaths 20th-century Luxembourgian women politicians Luxembourgian socialists