Ann-Margret Holmgren facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ann-Margret Holmgren
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| Born |
Ann-Margret Tersmeden
17 February 1850 Uppland, Sweden
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| Died | 12 October 1940 (aged 90) |
| Nationality | Swedish |
| Other names | Märta Bolle |
| Occupation | Writer, suffragist |
| Spouse(s) |
Frithiof Holmgren
(m. 1869; died 1897) |
Anna Margareta "Ann-Margret" Holmgren (born Tersmeden; 17 February 1850 – 12 October 1940) was an important Swedish writer, a champion for women's rights, and someone who believed in peace.
Ann-Margret's Early Life
Ann-Margret was born at Hässle Manor in Uppland, Sweden. Her parents were Baroness Augusta Jacquette Cederström and Jacob Nils Tersmeden. He was a politician and a nobleman.
In 1869, she married Frithiof Holmgren, who was a medical doctor and a professor at Uppsala University.
Their home, Villa Åsen in Uppsala, became a special meeting place. Students and thinkers would gather there to discuss new and modern ideas. These ideas included having a republic (where people elect their leaders), democracy (where everyone has a say), and suffrage (the right to vote). They also talked about workers' rights and atheism (not believing in God). These discussions helped Ann-Margret develop her own strong beliefs. She even wrote for a radical newspaper called Verdandi from 1898 to 1905.
Fighting for Women's Rights
After her husband passed away in 1897, Ann-Margret moved to Stockholm. There, her friends Ellen Key and Lydia Wahlström inspired her to work for gender equality. This means making sure women and men have the same rights and opportunities.
Ann-Margret had a strong opinion about women's right to vote. The main suffrage movement wanted women to vote on "equal terms as men." But this would mean only single women or widows could vote. Married women were legally under their husbands' care. Ann-Margret believed that married women should also be able to vote. She fought for married women to be seen as independent adults.
In 1902, two ideas about women's voting rights were brought to the Swedish Parliament. One idea, from Hjalmar Hammarskjöld, suggested that married men should get two votes. This was because he thought they would vote for their wives too. The other idea, from Carl Lindhagen, suggested that women should simply get the right to vote.
Women's rights activists were upset by Hammarskjöld's idea. They decided to support Lindhagen's plan. On June 4, 1902, they started the Association for Women's Suffrage (FKPR). It began in Stockholm and became a national group the next year.
Ann-Margret was very active in this movement. She was the Vice Chairman of the Stockholm branch of the National Association for Women's Suffrage (LKPR) from 1902 to 1904. She was also the secretary for the main committee from 1903 to 1906.
Her most important role was as a speaker. She was one of the first members to travel all over Sweden. She gave speeches, found people who supported the cause, and helped set up local groups for women's suffrage. She used her many connections from her time in Uppsala to do this.
On her 60th birthday in 1910, the LKPR celebrated her. They gave her a golden chain with 60 links. Each link represented one of the 60 local branches she had helped to start! Later, on her 75th birthday, she received a special award called the Illis quorum.
Ann-Margret also worked for peace. She was the vice chairman of the Swedish Women's Peace Association from 1901 to 1910. She was also an honorary member of the Nordic Museum. After women gained the right to vote, the LKPR group ended. Ann-Margret then helped start the Civic Society of Swedish Women in 1921.
Ann-Margret's Personal Life
Ann-Margret was also a writer. She used the pen name "Märta Bolle." She wrote two books: Fru Stråhle. Tidsbilder ur tre släktled (1894) and När riddar Ulf suckar. Ur familjekrönikan på Höögsborg (1896). Both of these books were translated into German.
Ann-Margret and her husband, Frithiof Holmgren, had eight children. One of their children was the scientist Israel Holmgren. Ann-Margret passed away in 1940. She is buried with her husband at the Uppsala old cemetery.
See Also
- Walborg Hedberg; Louise Arosenius (1914) Svenska kvinnor från skilda verksamhetsområden (Stockholm: Albert Bonniers Förlag)
- Ulrika Knutson (2004) Kvinnor på gränsen till genombrott (Stockholm: Albert Bonniers Förlag) ISBN: 978-91-4622-567-6
- Barbro Hedwall; Susanna Eriksson Lundqvist. red. (2011) Vår rättmätiga plats. Om kvinnornas kamp för rösträtt (Stockholm: Albert Bonniers Förlag) ISBN: 978-91-7424-119-8
