Agnethe Davidsen (29 August 1947 – 25 November 2007) was a Greenlandic judge who was the first female

government minister A minister is a politician who heads a ministry, making and implementing decisions on policies in conjunction with the other ministers. In some jurisdictions the head of government is also a minister and is designated the ' prime minister', ' p ...

Greenland Greenland is an autonomous territory in the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. It is by far the largest geographically of three constituent parts of the kingdom; the other two are metropolitan Denmark and the Faroe Islands. Citizens of Greenlan ...

and only the second female mayor of Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, where she was mayor for more than 14 years until she died suddenly at the age of 60.

Early years

Agnethe was born in 1947 to mother Agathe Lund and father Villy Wael (1928-98), but she was raised by her grandmother. At 16, she met her future husband, the blacksmith Aqqaluartaaq Davidsen, whom she married in 1966, and they had two children, Søren (1965) and Heidi (1967). In 1969, seeking more education, she took the children to

Ikast Ikast is a Danish town in Central Denmark Region (''Region Midtjylland''). It is the seat of Ikast-Brande Municipality since 2007. It was the seat of the former Ikast Municipality. Geography The town is situated in the middle of Jutland. The ...

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

and graduated in 1970 with a "trade degree in commerce and office." After returning to Greenland, she began working in the national court system in Nuuk. In 1979, she began her work as a circuit judge in the Nuuk district court, a position she held 1979-1983 and again 1989–1993.

Political life

In 1983, Davidsen was appointed to the Parliament (''Landsting'') as substitute for Hans Pavia Rosing, representing the

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 ...

-oriented Forward (''Siumut'') party. Later that year, she was appointed Member of Parliament for social affairs (a position similar to a governmental minister), thereby becoming the first female member of the '' Landsstyret''. In 1989, she was elected to the

city council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough counc ...

Nuuk Nuuk (; , formerly ) is the capital and most populous city of Greenland, an autonomous territory in the Kingdom of Denmark. Nuuk is the seat of government and the territory's largest cultural and economic center. It is also the seat of gove ...

, again under the banner of the Forward party, and between 1989 and 1991 held the position of second

vice mayor The deputy mayor (also known as vice mayor and assistant mayor) is an elective or appointive office of the second-ranking official that is present in many local governments. Duties and functions Many elected deputy mayors are members of the loca ...

. After the election of 1991, she was appointed first vice mayor, and in 1993 she became presiding officer of the city council and the

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

of the city. Davidsen was only second female mayor of the capital city after Laannguaq Lynge, who occupied the post 1991–1993. In 1997, Davidsen was inducted by

Queen Margrethe II Margrethe II (; Margrethe Alexandrine Þórhildur Ingrid, born 16 April 1940) is a member of the Danish royal family who reigned as Queen of Denmark from 14 January 1972 until her abdication on 14 January 2024. Having reigned for exactly 5 ...

of Denmark into the

Order of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog () is a Denmark, Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V of Denmark, Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the Order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single cla ...

. In that year she resigned from political life in Greenland so she could work full-time in Nuuk politics. She was a vocal advocate for hosting the 2002

Arctic Winter Games The Arctic Winter Games are a biennial multi-sport and indigenous cultural event involving circumpolar peoples residing in communities or countries bordering the Arctic Ocean. History The Arctic Winter Games were founded in 1969 under the leade ...

, which were held in both Nuuk and in

Iqaluit Iqaluit is the capital of the Canadian territory of Nunavut. It is the territory's largest community and its only city, and the northernmost city in Canada. It was known as Frobisher Bay from 1942 to 1987, after the large bay on the coast on ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. In 2004 Davidsen played herself as the mayor in the 58-minute documentary film, "Dronningen og prinsen med Frederik og Mary i Grønland" (The Queen and Prince with Frederick and Mary in Greenland). In April 2005, voters returned Davidsen to the mayor's office in Nuuk defeating then deputy mayor, Per Berthelsen, by 2.7 percent of the vote. She died suddenly in 2007 of a brain hemorrhage while serving as mayor.

Honors

Knight of the

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davidsen, Agnethe 1947 births 2007 deaths Mayors of Nuuk Women mayors of places in Greenland Women mayors of places in Denmark Government ministers of Greenland 20th-century Greenlandic politicians 20th-century Danish women politicians 21st-century Greenlandic politicians 21st-century Danish women politicians Women government ministers of Greenland