Sigrid Kruse facts for kids
Sigrid Maria Kruse (born September 2, 1867 – died September 19, 1950) was an important Swedish woman. She was a teacher, wrote books for children, and fought for women's right to vote. She taught in Karlskrona and worked hard for the women's suffrage movement. This movement wanted to give women the right to vote. Sigrid wrote articles, published small books, and spoke at meetings. In 1904, she started a local group to support women's voting rights. She also took part in a big meeting in Stockholm in 1909 about this topic. From 1912 to 1926, she was a representative for the Liberal People's Party in Karlskrona.
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Sigrid Kruse's Early Life and Education
Sigrid Maria Kruse was born on September 2, 1867, in a place called Norra Mellby, near Sösdala in Hässleholm Municipality. Her father, Frans Oskar Kruse, owned land, and her mother was Anna Maria Mathilda Borgström. Sigrid was one of six children in her family.
She trained to become a teacher in Kalmar and finished her studies in 1888. In 1890, Sigrid Kruse moved to Karlskrona. She lived there with her younger sister, Ester, who also became a teacher.
Teaching and Writing for Young People
From 1890, Sigrid Kruse spent her whole working life teaching at the Fischerströmska girls' school in Karlskrona. Besides teaching, she wrote several helpful books for children and young people. One of her books was called Från vår storhetstid: historiska berättelser för ungdom (From our Glorious Past: Historical Stories for Young People), published in 1890.
She also wrote articles for different magazines. These included Idun and Rösträtt för kvinnor. The magazine Rösträtt för kvinnor was published by the National Association for Women's Suffrage (LKPR). This association worked to get women the right to vote in Sweden.
Fighting for Women's Right to Vote
Sigrid Kruse strongly believed that women should have the right to vote. She wrote longer articles, and some of these were published as small books called brochures. Two important brochures were Kvinnan och samhällsarbetet (Women and Social Work, 1905) and Varför böra de svenska kvinnorna skriva sina namn på L.K.P.R:s opinionslistor? (Why Should Swedish Women Write Their Names on LKPR's Opinion Lists, 1913). These writings gave strong reasons why women should be allowed to vote.
In 1904, she started a women's suffrage association in Karlskrona and was its leader. In 1909, she went to Sweden's first big meeting about women's voting rights. At this meeting, she connected the idea of women's suffrage with the temperance movement. The temperance movement was another cause she supported, which aimed to reduce or stop the use of alcohol.
Her Political Work and Later Life
In 1912, Sigrid Kruse was chosen to be part of the city council in Karlskrona. She kept this important position until she retired in 1926.
In 1930, Sigrid and her sister Ester moved to a house in Vrigstad. They had built this house to use as a summer home. Sigrid Kruse passed away in Vrigstad on September 19, 1950. She is buried in the Norra Mellby cemetery.
