Rannveig Þorsteinsdóttir (6 July 1904 – 18 January 1987) was an Icelandic lawyer, judge, teacher, and politician. She was a Progressive Party member of the

Alþingi The (; ), anglicised as Althingi or Althing, is the supreme national parliament of Iceland. It is the oldest surviving parliament in the world. The Althing was founded in 930 at (' thing fields' or 'assembly fields'), about east of what la ...

, the national parliament of Iceland, from 1949 to 1953. In 1959, she became the first woman to practice law before the

Supreme Court of Iceland The Supreme Court of Iceland (, , ) is the final court of appeal in the judiciary of Iceland. It is also the oldest of the current courts of law in Iceland and the highest of the three Icelandic court branches, the others being the District Co ...

Biography

Rannveig was born on 6 July 1904 in

Mjóifjörður Mjóifjörður (, "narrow fjord") is a village of 7 people in East Iceland, sitting on a fjord of the same name. It is part of the municipality of Fjarðabyggð. History In the early 20th century, the village was a Norwegian whaling station. The ...

, Iceland. She was the daughter of Þorsteinn Sigurðsson, a fisherman, and Ragnhildur Hansdóttir, a housemaker. Rannveig graduated from Samvinnuskólinn (now Bifröst University) in 1924, and worked as a clerk for ''

Tíminn ''Tíminn'' () was an Icelandic daily newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspape ...

'', an Icelandic newspaper, from 1925 to 1936. During that time, she was also a part-time teacher at Samvinnuskólinn between 1926 and 1933. In 1934, she began a job as a receptionist for a

tobacconist A tobacconist, also called a tobacco shop, a tobacconist's shop or a smoke shop, is a retail business that sells tobacco products in various forms and the related accoutrements, such as pipes, lighters, matches, pipe cleaners, and pipe tampe ...

, and held the position until 1946. Rannveig graduated from

Menntaskólinn í Reykjavík Menntaskólinn í Reykjavík (MR; official name in English: Reykjavik College) is collegein Iceland. It is located in Reykjavík. The school traces its origin to 1056, when a school was established in Skálholt, and it remains one of the oldest ...

, a

junior college A junior college is a type of post-secondary institution that offers vocational and academic training that is designed to prepare students for either skilled trades and technical occupations or support roles in professions such as engineering, a ...

, in 1946 and enrolled at the

University of Iceland The University of Iceland ( ) is a public research university in Reykjavík, Iceland, and the country's oldest and largest institution of higher education. Founded in 1911, it has grown steadily from a small civil servants' school to a modern co ...

, where she received a degree in law in 1949. She was elected to the

, Iceland's national parliament, that year as a member of the Progressive Party. She was one of only two women in the Alþingi, along with , and served a single four-year term. During her time in the Alþingi, she was an advocate for women's rights. She established a

law office A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise consumer, clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and Obligation, respon ...

in Reykjavík in 1949, and was a judge in the Reykjavík courts beginning in 1950. From May 1951 to January 1952, Rannveig was a member of the Icelandic delegation to the

Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) is the parliamentary arm of the Council of Europe, a 46-nation international organisation dedicated to upholding human rights, democracy and the rule of law. The Assembly is made up of ...

, and she was a substitute member of the assembly from 1952 to 1965. In 1959, Rannveig obtained a license to practice before the

, becoming the first woman in Iceland to do so. She retired from her legal career in 1974, and died on 18 January 1987 at the age of 82.

References