Lydia Wahlström

Lydia Wahlström

Lydia Katarina Wahlström (28 June 1869 – 2 June 1954) was a Swedish historian, author and feminist. She was one of the founders of the National Association for Women's Suffrage and its chairman in 1907–1911.

Life and career

Lydia Wahlström was born in Lundby, Västmanland, the daughter of the vicar Johan Gustaf Wahlström and Ida Schmidt. She studied at the Wallinska skolan in Stockholm, was accepted at the Uppsala University in 1888, became a Bachelor of Arts in history, Nordic languages and Political science and made a disputation in 1898. As a student, she founded the first organisation for female students at Uppsala University, whose members wore their students caps in public, which were considered unsuitable for their gender.

She later tutored in Christianity in Uppsala, managed a girl's school in England and was finally made principal at the Åhlinska skolan in Stockholm. She was a co-founder of the Swedish Society for Woman Suffrage together with Signe Bergman, Anna Whitlock and Ann-Margret Holmgren. In 1902, two motions regarding women suffrage reform were presented to the Swedish Parliament. One was from the Minister of Justice Hjalmar Hammarskjöld, who suggested that married men be given two votes, as they could be regarded to vote in place of their wives as well. The other motion was presented by Carl Lindhagen, who suggested women suffrage. The Hammarskjöld suggestion aroused anger among women's rights activists, who formed a support group for the Lindhagen motion. On 4 June 1902, Landsföreningen för Kvinnans Politiska Rösträtt (LKPR) was founded: initially a local Stockholm society, it became a national organization the year after.

She belonged to its leading speakers, ideologists and writers, and represented the LKPR, the Swedish suffrage movement, internationally on several occasions. Her academic titles gave scientific credibility to the movement, and she served as chairman of FKPR in 1907–1911. She was one of few members to openly confess to be a political conservative. LKPR was supported by women with both left- and right-wing political sympathies. In practice, the political neutrality was abandoned by the resolution of 20 June 1911, when the LKPR decided to form a voters' boycott against all politicians opposing women's suffrage and support those in favor. In reality, this meant that the organisation was no longer politically neutral, as the main opposition of women's suffrage was the Conservatives, while Liberals and the Social Democrats were in favor of women's suffrage as soon as full male suffrage had been introduced, which had been made in 1909. Wahlström, as a conservative, therefore left her position as chairperson and was replaced by her predecessor, the more apolitical Anna Whitlock.

Wahlström was also active within the Fredrika Bremer Association.

Lydia Wahlström published many works about Christianity and history. She died in Stockholm, aged 84.

Sources

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