Charlotte Norrie facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Helga Charlotte Norrie
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Charlotte Norrie photographed in 1904
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| Born |
Helga Charlotte Harbou
12 October 1855 Altona, Denmark
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| Died | 19 December 1940 (aged 85) Copenhagen, Denmark
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| Nationality | Danish |
| Occupation | Nurse Women's rights activist Educator |
Helga Charlotte Norrie (born October 12, 1855 – died December 19, 1940) was an important Danish nurse, women's rights activist, and teacher. She helped a lot to make nursing a respected job for women. She also worked hard for women's rights, especially the right to vote.
Early Life and Family
Charlotte Norrie was born in Altona, Denmark, on October 12, 1855. Her father was Major-General Johannes Wilhelm Anthonius Harbou. Her mother, Louise Ulrikke Mariane Hellesen, was known for helping others.
Charlotte spent her early years in Altona and Rendsburg. In 1863, her family moved to Copenhagen. She first worked for three years as a governess. This means she taught children in their home.
In 1880, she started training to be a nurse. She worked at Copenhagen's Almindelig Hospital (General Hospital). The next year, she gained more experience at Dronning Louises Børnehospital (Queen Louise's Children's Hospital).
In 1885, she married Gordon Norrie. He was a doctor she had met at the General Hospital. They had three children together: Johannes William (born 1886), Edith (born 1889), and Inger (born 1892).
Helping Nursing Grow
Charlotte Norrie believed that nursing should be a respected profession. With her husband's help, she started teaching nursing courses in 1883. These courses covered basic skills and first-aid.
They trained over 500 women. Many of these women came from her mother's charity groups. Norrie was very critical of the poor training for nurses in hospitals. She especially thought the Danish Red Cross's methods were not good enough.
In 1888, she shared her idea for a private nursing school. She wrote about it in Ugeskrift for Læger (Doctors' Weekly). She wanted nursing to be a worthy job for middle-class women. Denmark's first official nursing training facility opened in 1910. It was at the Rigshospitalet, a hospital run by the Danish state.
Fighting for Women's Rights
Charlotte Norrie also cared deeply about women's well-being. She joined the Foreningen Kvindernes Bygning (Women's Building Association). In the late 1890s, she became a committee member of the Copenhagen branch of the Dansk Kvindesamfund. This was a women's rights group. She was the deputy chair from 1900 to 1901.
In 1899, she helped start Dansk Kvinderåd (The Danish Council of Women) with Elly Nienstædt. This group later became Danske Kvinders Nationalråd (DKN). Norrie was first the secretary and then the president until 1909.
She also founded Danske Kvindeforeningers Valretsudvalg (Suffrage Committee of Danish Women's Associations) in 1898. Through this group, she fought for voting rights. She wanted all women to vote, not just those who supported themselves.
At a big meeting in London in 1899, Norrie helped create the International Council of Nurses (ICN). This group helps nurses around the world.
Norrie tried to start a Danish group to improve nurses' working conditions. But she only led the Dansk Sygeplejeråd (Danish Council of Nurses) for a few months. Hospital nurses wanted a fully qualified nurse to lead them.
So, she focused more on women's right to vote. In 1904, she helped found the International Alliance of Women in Berlin. In 1907, she was a co-founder of Danske Kvinders Forsvarsforening (Danish Women's Defence Association). She led this group until 1915, and its membership grew to about 50,000.
She then started the Kvinde-Vælger-Klubberne (Women Voters' Clubs). These clubs encouraged women to run for election. From 1920 to 1927, she returned to her nursing goals. She founded the Ejra School for nursing and first-aid training.
Charlotte Norrie passed away in Copenhagen on December 19, 1940. She is buried in Helsingør.
