Ellen Anckarsvärd

Who was Ellen Anckarsvärd?

Ellen Anckarsvärd, née Nyström, was a Swedish women's rights activists.

She was the daughter of the architect Per Axel Nyström. In 1873, she co-founded Föreningen för gift kvinnas äganderätt with Anna Hierta-Retzius, which is considered the first organized Swedish women's movement. According to Anna Hierta-Retzius, she was the center of the organisation with her intellect and efficiency. In 1884, she also co-founded Fredrika-Bremer-förbundet, the main Swedish feminist movement of the 19th-century; in 1896, she became its Vice Chairman, and she is referred to as the successor of Sophie Adlersparre. According to Ellen Key, she was a good organizer, for which no juridical or practical problem was to difficult to solve.

In 1896, she became chairman of Svenska kvinnors nationalförbund, which became a part of International Council of Women in 1898.