Kerstin Hesselgren
| Kerstin Hesselgren | |
|---|---|
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| Member of Parliament Upper Chamber | |
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In office 1921–1944 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | 14 January 1872 Torsåker, Gästrikland |
| Died | 19 August 1962 |
| Political party | liberal, Independent |
| First woman in the Swedish Upper Chamber | |
Kerstin Hesselgren (14 January 1872 – 19 August 1962) was a Swedish politician. Kerstin Hesselgren became the first woman to be elected into the Upper House of the Swedish parliament after the female suffrage in 1921. She was elected by suggestion of the Liberals with support from the Social democrats.
Hesselgren was born at Torsåker, Gästrikland. She was the daughter of medical doctor Gustaf Alfred Hesselgren and Maria Margareta Wærn. She never married.
She was educated by a governess at home and then at a girl school in Switzerland. In 1895, she graduated as a feldsher in Uppsala; in 1896, she graduated as a school kitchen teacher i Stockholm; and in 1905, she qualified as a Sanitary Inspector from Bedford college.
Kerstin Hesselgren worked as a sanitary-inspector in Stockholm 1912-1934 and school kitchen inspector 1909-34.
Hesselgren had originally wished to be a physician, but her weak constitution had made her regarded unfit for this profession. Instead, she educated herself for the profession of Sanitary Inspector, to be able to focus on better health conditions through inspection and improvement of the living conditions in the capital, which were at that time appalling for the working classes. She did manage to introduce improvements, which made her respected in political circles.
She was chairperson of the Swedish school teacher's society 1906-1913. She was management director of the women's work environment inspection from 1913 to 1934. From 1906 onward, she received a number of political assignments.
Hesselgren was given the Illis Quorum in 1918, and in 1921 she became one of the five first women to be elected to the Swedish Parliament after women suffrage alongside Nelly Thüring (Social Democrat), Agda Östlund (Social Democrat) Elisabeth Tamm (liberal) and Bertha Wellin (Conservative) in the Lower chamber. Hesselgren was alone in the Upper chamber and thereby became the first woman in the Upper chamber. She was a liberal in 1922–23 and 1937–44 and Independent in 1923–1937. Until 1934, however, she formally labeled herself as belonging of no particular party in parliament, because she had been elected with the support by two parties.
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