Guðrún Björnsdóttir
Guðrún Björnsdóttir | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Reykjavík City Council | |
| In office 1908–1914 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 27 November 1853 Eyjólfsstaðir plains, Iceland |
| Died | 11 September 1936 (aged 82) Reykjavík, Iceland |
Guðrún Björnsdóttir (27 November 1853 – 11 September 1936) was an Icelandic politician and women's rights activist. She was a founder of the Icelandic Women's Rights Association and one of the first female members of the Reykjavík City Council.
Early life and family
Guðrún Björnsdóttir was born at Eyjólfsstaðir plains on 27 November 1853.[1][2][3] At the age of 10, her father left her while she was still growing up.[1] She was then sent to Eskifjörður for foster care, but she was soon moved to Langanes to live with her uncle.[1][3] For a brief period she lived in Copenhagen, but after awhile returned to her relatives in Langanes.[1]
In 1884, she married Lárus Jóhannesson, and in Sauðanes they raised four daughters.[1][2] After only four years of marriage, Guðrún's husband died.[1][3]
Björnsdóttir stayed with her brother in Norður-Þingeyjarsýsla until she moved with her daughters to Reykjavík in 1900.[1] There, she sold milk to support her family.[1][4] She also began writing articles in the papers about milk sales and personal hygiene.[3][4]
Political career
Björnsdóttir was an early advocate for women's rights in the 20th century and was a founder of the Icelandic Women's Rights Association. She was one of the first women elected to the Reykjavík City Council[5] in what was said to be among the first true electoral campaigns in Iceland.[5][6] Alongside her in City Council were three other newly elected women; Bríet Bjarnhéðinsdóttir, Þórunn Jónassen, and Katrín Magnússon.[5][6]
Björnsdóttir sat in the town council in 1908 to 1914,[1][4] focused on health and educational issues.[2] In particular, she sought gender equality by promoting women's education. She helped towards establishing a Women's Student Scholarship Fund.[2]
Death and legacy
Björnsdóttir died in Reykjavík, where she had moved in retirement, on 11 September 1936.[2]
A memorial about her, which appeared in Morgunblaðið on 18 September 1936, wrote about her:
With Mrs. Guðrún, the fall of a chosen woman, who was an exuberant lady in an old style and an early pioneer for the new women rights for the country.[2]
In November 2010, the Reykjavík City Council announced Sætún that a street in the city, would be renamed Guðrúnartún in honor of Guðrún Björnsdóttir.[7]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Kvennasögusafn Íslands - Guðrún Björnsdóttir". kvennasogusafn.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 10 July 2019.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|dead-url=(help) - ^ a b c d e f "Minningarorð um frú Guðrúnu Björnsdóttur". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 18 September 1936. p. 7. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|work=(help) - ^ a b c d Gíslason, Þorsteinn, ed. (1 May 1908). "Konur i bæjarstjórn Reykjavikur" [Women in Reykjavik City Council]. Óðinn (in Icelandic). 4 (2). Reykjavík: Prentsmiðjan Gutenberg: 13. Retrieved 10 July 2019 – via timarit.is.
- ^ a b c "Guðrún Björnsdóttir". Konur og stjórnmál. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
- ^ a b c Háskólabókasafn, Landsbókasafn Íslands-. "Timarit.is". timarit.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 10 July 2019.
- ^ a b "Atburðir". Konur og stjórnmál. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
- ^ "Kvenskörungarnir fá nöfnin sín á göturnar þrátt fyrir hörð mótmæli íbúa og fyrirtækja". Pressan (in Icelandic). 26 November 2010. Archived from the original on 26 November 2010. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
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