Ragna Nielsen

Ragna Nielsen
Portrait by Asta Nørregaard
President of the Norwegian Association for Women's Rights
In office 1886–1888
Preceded by	Anna Stang
Succeeded by	Anna Bugge
In office 1889–1895
Preceded by	Anna Bugge
Succeeded by	Randi Blehr
2nd President of the Riksmål Society
In office 1910–1911
Preceded by	Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson
Succeeded by	Alfred Eriksen
Personal details
Born	Ragna Vilhelmine Ullmann 17 July 1845
Died	29 September 1924
Nationality	Norwegian
Parent	Vilhelmine Ullmann (mother)
Relatives	Viggo Ullmann (brother)

Ragna Vilhelmine Nielsen (née Ullmann) (17 July 1845 – 29 September 1924) was a Norwegian pedagogue, school headmistress, publicist, organizer, politician and feminist.

Personal life

Ragna Nielsen was born in Christiania (now Oslo) to Jørgen Axel Nicolai Ullmann and his wife, pedagogist, publicist, literary critic and feminist Cathrine Johanne Fredrikke Vilhelmine Dunker. She married Ludvig Nielsen in 1879, and settled with her husband in Tromsø. The couple was separated in 1884, when she moved back to Kristiania. She was the sister of politician Viggo Ullmann.

Career

As a child, Ragna attended her mother's school for girls, and then attended Hartvig Nissen's private school for girls until 1860. From 1862, she received an assignment at Nissen's school, where she taught until 1879. She was a teacher in Tromsø until 1884. She established the school Fru Nielsens Latin- og Realskole in Kristiania in 1885. It was started as a girls' school, but soon became a common school for both girls and boys. She was the first headmistress of a secondary school (Norwegian: gymnas) in Norway. She chaired the Norwegian Association for Women's Rights twice, from 1886 to 1888, and again from 1889 to 1895. She founded or co-founded a number of organizations, including Kvindestemmeretsforeningen in 1885, Norske kvindelige Handelsstands Forening in 1890, Norsk Fredsforening in 1891, and Hjemmenes Vel in 1898. She was elected to the Kristiania City Council from 1901 to 1904. She co-founded the language organization Riksmålsforeningen in 1907, and chaired the organization from 1909 to 1910. She was engaged in the spiritualism movement and a co-founder of Norsk Selskap for Psykisk Forskning in 1917.

She co-founded the women's magazine Norske Kvinder in 1921. Among her books are Norske kvinder i det 19de aarhundrede from 1904, Fra de smaa følelsers tid from 1907 (published anonymously), and Sisyphos og de politiske partier from 1922.