Jógvan Poulsen (February 19, 1854 –January 21, 1941) was a Faroese teacher and writer, and a politician for the Union Party. Poulsen was born in

Svínáir Svínáir () is a village located on Eysturoy in the Faroe Islands, in Eiði Municipality. It is located 4 km north of Ljósá and 6.5 km west of Funningur. It is located 8.5 km south of Eiði, 4.6 km south of Ljósá and 2 km north of Norðskál ...

Eysturoy Eysturoy (, meaning 'East Island') is a region and the second-largest of the Faroe Islands, both in size and population. Description Eysturoy is separated by a narrow sound from the main island of Streymoy. Eysturoy is extremely rugged, with som ...

, the son of Poul Joensen and Birgithe Joensen (née Thomasdatter). His parents originally came from

Eiði Eiði (''Northern Faroese'' �ɔiːjɪ) is a village located on the north-west tip of Eysturoy in the Faroe Islands. It is the seat of Eiði Municipality. It is located 4 km north of Ljósá and 6.5 km west of Funningur. History Ei� ...

and

Funningur Funningur is a village on the Faroe Islands. It is located on the northwest coast of Eysturoy (). It was the only village in the municipality called ''Funnings kommuna'', which on 1 January 2009 became part of Runavíkar kommuna. To the west of ...

, respectively, and Svínáir was a new "

settlement village A settlement village () is a settlement in the Faroe Islands that was founded during the 1800s or early 1900s. The population of the islands grew quickly from 1800 onward, resulting in a shortage of land in the older villages. Many new villages wer ...

" () when they moved there. Jógvan Poulsen grew up in a poor home, and eventually served as a farmhand living at the Látrinan farm in Eiði.Debes, Hans Jacob. 1982. ''Nú er tann stundin … Tjóðskaparrørsla og sjálvstýrispolitikkur til 1906''. Tórshavn: Føroya Skúlabókagrunnur, pp. 229–230. In 1874 he moved to

Tórshavn Tórshavn (; ; Danish language, Danish: ''Thorshavn''), usually locally referred to as simply Havn, is the capital and largest city of the Faroe Islands. It is located in the southern part on the east coast of Streymoy. To the northwest of th ...

to obtain an education. He graduated as a teacher from the

Faroese Teachers School The Faroese Teachers School () is a college in Tórshavn in the Faroe Islands, which became part of the University of the Faroe Islands on 1 August 2008. Since 2008 it has offered bachelor's degrees in general and specialized education; before 20 ...

in 1876 and taught at the primary schools in

Strendur Strendur () is a village on the Faroese island of Eysturoy, located along the Skálafjørður fjord. It is the seat and main settlement of the Sjóvar Municipality. The 2012 population was 785. Its postal code is FO 490. ''Strendur'' means ''be ...

Selatrað Selatrað () is a village on the west coast of the Faroese island of Eysturoy in Sjóvar Municipality. The name ''Selatrað'' refers to ''a breeding place for seals''. The 2010 population was 38. Its postal code is FO 497. The village's church, ...

, Morskranes, and

Skála Skála (reclaimed its original name ''Skála'' as opposed to incorrect ''Skáli'' in 2011;Landverk

until 1917. He gave up his teaching position because of illness. He published ''Förisk ABC og lesingabók'' (A Faroese ABC and Reader) together with Christian Ludvig Johannesen in 1891, but this was soon superseded by Hammershaimb's normative guide. Poulsen's ''Bibliusøga'' (Bible Stories) from 1900 became a standard work because the Bible had not yet been translated into Faroese. Poulsen was a board member of the Faroese Teachers' Association from 1898 to 1903 and from 1906 to 1912, and later a member of the school committee for the Faroe Islands from 1924 to 1928. Poulsen was a council member for the former Parish Municipality of

, and later for the Municipality of Sjóvar, and he served as mayor for a time. He served in the

Faroese Parliament Faroese ( ) or Faroish ( ) may refer to anything pertaining to the Faroe Islands, e.g.: * the Faroese language * the Faroese people * the Faroese islands {{Disambiguation Language and nationality disambiguation pages ...

as a representative from Eysturoy from

1883 Events January * January 4 – ''Life'' magazine is founded in Los Angeles, California, United States. * January 10 – A fire at the Newhall Hotel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, kills 73 people. * January 16 – ...

1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly demonstrating that DNA is the genetic material. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris B ...

, and he was affiliated with the Union Party after 1906. He ran as a candidate from the Faroes for the

Højre (, ''Right'') was the name of two Danish political parties of Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The ...

party for the

Danish Parliament The Folketing ( , ), 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 and Greenland. E ...

's lower house (the ''Folketing'') in 1901, but he lost all of the constituencies except Eysturoy to

Jóannes Patursson Jóannes Patursson (May 6, 1866 – August 2, 1946) was a Faroe Islands, Faroese nationalist leader and poet. He served as a member of the Parliament of Denmark and the Løgting, Parliament of the Faroe Islands. Background Jóannes was born ...

, with a result of 356 votes for Patursson and 199 for Poulsen. Poulsen was an opponent of the

parliamentary system A parliamentary system, or parliamentary democracy, is a form of government where the head of government (chief executive) derives their Election, democratic legitimacy from their ability to command the support ("confidence") of a majority of t ...

and supported the king's right to designate ministers, and he did not want the

Faroese language conflict The Faroese language conflict is a phase in the history of the Faroe Islands in the first half of the 20th century (approx. 1908 to 1938). It was a political and cultural argument between advocates of Faroese and Danish to serve as the official ...

to play a role in the electoral campaign. He tried to present himself as the candidate representing the average citizen, and Patursson as the candidate representing wealthy farmers. Poulsen succeeded only partially in doing so because for many voters the Højre party appeared to represent the interests of government officials. Poulsen died in Strendur. He was depicted on a Faroese stamp in 2008.Simonsen, Kim. 2013. Frimærker og national identitet. Færøske frimærker som erindringssted. ''Posta Stamps'' 17: 2–8.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Poulsen, Jogvan Faroese writers Members of the Løgting 1854 births 1941 deaths People from Eiði Municipality