Emma Asson (13 July 1889 – 1 January 1965) was an

Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

n politician (

Social Democrat Social democracy is a Social philosophy, social, Economic ideology, economic, and political philosophy within socialism that supports Democracy, political and economic democracy and a gradualist, reformist, and democratic approach toward achi ...

). She was the first woman to be elected to the

Estonian parliament The Riigikogu (, from Estonian ''riigi-'', "of the state", and ''kogu'', "assembly") is the unicameral parliament of Estonia. In addition to approving legislation, the Parliament appoints high officials, including the prime minister and chief ...

. Asson participated in the creation of the first constitution of the independent Estonia, particularly within the fields of education and gender equality. She also wrote some of the first history textbook in the

Estonian language Estonian ( ) is a Finnic language and the official language of Estonia. It is written in the Latin script and is the first language of the majority of the country's population; it is also an official language of the European Union. Estonian is sp ...

in 1912.

Biography

Emma Asson was born in Vaabina Parish,

Võru County Võru County ( or ''Võrumaa''; ) is a county in southern Estonia. It is bordered by Valga and Põlva counties, Latvia's Alūksne and Ape municipalities, and Russia's Pskov Oblast (making it the only Estonian county to border two countries) ...

Governorate of Livonia The Governorate of Livonia, also known as the Livonia Governorate, was a province (''guberniya'') and one of the Baltic governorates of the Russian Empire, Baltic Governorate-General until 1876. Governorate of Livonia bordered Governorate of E ...

, part of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

, as the daughter of a teacher. She studied at the A. S. Pushkin Girls' School in

Tartu Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 97,759 (as of 2024). It is southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres (152 miles) northeast of Riga, Latvia. Tartu lies on the Emajõgi river, which connects the ...

and graduated in history at the

Bestuzhev Courses The Bestuzhev Courses () in Saint Petersburg were the largest and most prominent women's higher education institution in Imperial Russia. The institute opened its doors in 1878. It was named after Konstantin Bestuzhev-Ryumin, the first director ...

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

in Russia in 1910. She was then employed as a history teacher at a girls' college in Tartu. Emma Asson was active in different women's organisations for social and education issues. In 1919, she was elected to the

Tallinn Tallinn is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Estonia, most populous city of Estonia. Situated on a Tallinn Bay, bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, it has a population of (as of 2025) and ...

city council as well as to the first national parliament of the independent Estonia for the social democrats. She was the first woman. In 1920, the women of Estonia were given full political rights under a new constitution. Two women were consulted over this constitution, and they were

Minni Kurs-Olesk Minni Kurs-Olesk (13 March 1879 Tartu – 20 October 1940 Tartu) was an Estonian politician. She was a member of Estonian Constituent Assembly The Estonian Constituent Assembly () was elected on 5–7 April 1919, called by the Estonian Provision ...

and Asson. She was a member of the Education Ministry in 1919–21, secretary for the Estonian Women's Association and Head of the Education Department in 1925–1940. She was married to the politician Ferdinand Petersen from 1921 to 1941.

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Asson, Emma 1889 births 1965 deaths People from Antsla Parish Politicians from Võru County People from Kreis Werro Estonian Social Democratic Workers' Party politicians Members of the Estonian Constituent Assembly Members of the Riigikogu, 1920–1923 20th-century Estonian women politicians Women members of the Riigikogu University of Tartu alumni