Jenny Longuet facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jenny Longuet
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Jenny Marx Longuet (left) and her sister, Jenny Laura Marx
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| Born |
Jenny Caroline Marx
1 May 1844 |
| Died | 11 January 1883 (aged 38) |
| Occupation | Language teacher |
| Spouse(s) | Charles Longuet |
| Children | 6 (including Jean Longuet and Edgar Longuet) |
| Parents |
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| Relatives | Laura Marx (sister) Eleanor Marx (sister) Henry Juta (cousin) Louise Juta (aunt) Heinrich Marx (grandfather) Henriette Pressburg (grandmother) Anton Philips (second cousin) Gerard Philips (second cousin) |
Jenny Caroline Marx Longuet (born May 1, 1844 – died January 11, 1883) was the oldest daughter of famous thinker Karl Marx and Jenny von Westphalen Marx. She was a language teacher and even wrote as a journalist using the name J. Williams. Jenny had six children before she passed away at age 38.
Contents
Biography
Early Life and Education
Jenny Caroline Marx was born in Paris on May 1, 1844. Her family called her "Jennychen" to tell her apart from her mother, also named Jenny. She was the first of her parents' children to live past early childhood.
In 1868, when she was 24, Jenny started teaching French. She did this to help her parents with money. She also wrote articles for socialist newspapers. In 1870, she used the pen name "J. Williams" to write about how Irish political prisoners were treated by the British government.
Marriage and Family Life
Jenny met her future husband, Charles Longuet, in 1871. Charles was a French journalist and a strong political activist. They got engaged in March 1872 and married on October 10 of the same year. The wedding was a civil ceremony in London, and Jenny took the name Jenny Longuet.
Like her parents, Jenny and Charles faced money problems at first. They moved to Oxford hoping Charles would find work as a teacher, but he couldn't. Jenny earned a small income by giving private lessons in French, German, and singing.
Their financial situation got better in 1874. Jenny became a German teacher at the St Clement Danes School. She also continued giving private lessons. Charles got a job teaching French at King's College. Together, they earned enough to rent a small house in London.
Jenny Longuet had many pregnancies during her marriage. Her first son was born in September 1873 but sadly died the next summer. Her second son, Jean Laurent Frederick "Johnny" Longuet (1876–1938), lived a full life. He later became a leader in the Socialist Party of France.
A third son, born in 1878, had health challenges and died at age 5. Her fourth son, Edgar "Wolf" Longuet (1879–1950), also lived a full life. He became a medical doctor and was active in the French Socialist Party.
Moving to France
In July 1880, the French government allowed political exiles to return home. This meant Charles Longuet could go back to France. He quickly returned and became an editor for La Justice, a newspaper started by Georges Clemenceau. However, Jenny had started to get sick with cancer. She stayed in London for a while with her three sons to be near her aging parents.
In February 1881, Jenny and her boys moved to France to join Charles. The family settled in Argenteuil, a town near Paris. Their grandfather, Karl Marx, visited them often.
Even though she was ill, Jenny had another son, Marcel Longuet (1881-1949). He later became a journalist. Their last child, a daughter also named Jenny Longuet, was born in September 1882 and lived until 1952.
Later Years and Legacy
Just four months after her daughter was born, Jenny Longuet died in Argenteuil. She passed away on January 11, 1883, at the age of 38. She likely died from cancer, which she had been suffering from for some time. Her father, Karl Marx, was too ill to go to her funeral in France. He died two months later.
