Born: 24 August 1841, Sweden
Died: 21 December 1924
Country most active: Sweden
Also known as: Anna Hierta
The following bio was written by Emma Rosen, author of On This Day She Made History: 366 Days With Women Who Shaped the World and This Day In Human Ingenuity & Discovery: 366 Days of Scientific Milestones with Women in the Spotlight, and has been republished with permission.
Anna Wilhelmina Hierta-Retzius was an influential Swedish advocate for women’s rights and a committed philanthropist.
She co-founded and served as the secretary of the Married Woman’s Property Rights Association in 1873, actively championing the property rights of married women. Alongside this, she established and chaired the evening school Torsdagsskolan from 1864 to 1874, showcasing her dedication to education.
Anna’s involvement extended to various organizations. She was a board member of the Bikupan Association from 1870 to 1887 and later took on the role of Vice Chairperson of the Married Woman’s Property Rights Association from 1886 to 1893. Her contributions were diverse; she also worked as a co-worker at Aftonbladet from 1884 to 1887 and founded the Adolf Fredriks arbetsstuga för barn (Adolf Fredrik Work House for Children) in 1887.
Beyond her activism and philanthropy, Anna assumed leadership positions that left a lasting impact. She chaired the central committee of the Stockholm workhouses from 1889 to 1909, demonstrating her commitment to social welfare. Furthermore, she served as the Chairperson of the Swedish National Council of Women (SKNF) from 1899 to 1911 and held the position of Vice Chairperson of the International Council of Women (ICW) from 1904 to 1909.
Anna Wilhelmina Hierta-Retzius’ legacy is one of unwavering advocacy and leadership, leaving an enduring mark on women’s rights, education, and social progress.
The following is excerpted from “400 Outstanding Women of the World and the Costumology of Their Time” by Minna Moscherosch Schmidt, published in 1933.
She was born in Stockholm, the daughter of L. J. Hierta, a well-known Swedish lawyer and politician; she inherited from her father a great interest in questions of education and social work.
She took an active and beneficent part in the Feminist Movement and in charitable work. She received her elementary education at home, except for a year and a half spent in a German boarding school; at the age of sixteen she passed a three-year course at an educational institution for women, where she studied the sciences — unusual for women of that time. In 1864 she founded, a school (the Thursday-school) for women servants and for girls who had passed the elementary school. She worked also for the establishment of co-education at schools and was, later, the founder of the Paimgren’s school. In 1882 she founded the first Swedish domestic science school for young working-women and for children at elementary schools. In 1886 she gave the suggestion for trade schools for children, which has played an important part in the development of children’s welfare institutions in Sweden. In 1880 she founded the Museum of Hygiene.
In 1892 she introduced the first metal-work school for boys of the elementary schools and founded several social welfare institutions.
She has written an extensive work about Trade Schools for Children. She was the founder of the first Women’s Union of Sweden.