Ella Negruzzi (1876–1948) was a

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

and women's rights activist, and the first female lawyer in Romania (1913). She was a co-founder of the women's organization '' Association for the Civil and Political Emancipation of Romanian Women'' (1917), the '' Group of Democratic Lawyers'' (1935) and the ''

Women's Front The Women's Front () is a Norwegian radical feminist organization founded in 1972, and the country's oldest and largest radical feminist group. It was historically associated with the now defunct Workers' Communist Party, although its ties to the ...

'' (1936).

Early life

Ella Negruzzi was born on 11 September 1876 in Hermeziu, in the Moldavia Region of the recently formed country of

. Though her mother's identity is unknown, she grew up in a household of prominent men. Her father was the writer Leon C. Negruzzi; her uncle,

Iacob Negruzzi Iacob C. Negruzzi (December 31, 1842 – January 6, 1932) was a Moldavian, later Romanian poet and prose writer. Born in Iași, he was the son of Constantin Negruzzi and his wife Maria (''née'' Gane). Living in Berlin between 1853 and 1863, he a ...

was also a writer and twice served as president of the

Romanian Academy The Romanian Academy ( ) is a cultural forum founded in Bucharest, Romania, in 1866. It covers the scientific, artistic and literary domains. The academy has 181 active members who are elected for life. According to its bylaws, the academy's ma ...

; and her grandfather

Constantin Negruzzi Constantin Negruzzi (; first name often Costache ; 1808–24 August 1868) was a Romanian poet, novelist, translator, playwright, and politician. Born in Trifeștii Vechi, Moldavia, he studied at home with a Greek teacher. He admitted in a late ...

at one time served as the mayor of

Iași Iași ( , , ; also known by other #Etymology and names, alternative names), also referred to mostly historically as Jassy ( , ), is the Cities in Romania, third largest city in Romania and the seat of Iași County. Located in the historical ...

. Her brother, Mihai (ro), would become a general in the Romanian army. Negruzzi attended primary school in Iași and went on to complete her secondary education at the Externatul Girls school, (now known as Mihai Eminescu College). Negruzzi's father died when she was a teenager and her uncle, Iacob took over the responsibility for ensuring that she and Mihai completed their education. She continued her education, at the

University of Iaşi The Alexandru Ioan Cuza University (; acronym: UAIC) is a public university located in , Romania. Founded by an 1860 decree of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza, under whom the former was converted to a university, the University of , as it was named ...

, studying history, law and philosophy. In 1913, she became the first woman to try to register for the

bar examination A bar examination is an examination administered by the bar association of a jurisdiction that a lawyer must pass in order to be admitted to the bar of that jurisdiction. Australia Administering bar exams is the responsibility of the bar associat ...

in Iaşi. The request was rejected on the basis that women were not permitted to be public participants and were barred specifically from practicing law. Negruzzi moved to Galaţi to make a second attempt. She secured the support of Corneliu Botez, a prominent local attorney, but was also rejected. In 1917, she and other feminists, including Elena Meissner, submitted a petition to the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

demanding civil and political rights for women, but it was rejected. The following year, she was one of the co-founders of the Association for the Civil and Political Emancipation of Romanian Women (). The association platform pressed for the right of women to participate in civil society, including access to education, employment, and

politics Politics () is the set of activities that are associated with decision-making, making decisions in social group, groups, or other forms of power (social and political), power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of Social sta ...

. In 1919, she made her third attempt to take the bar examination, applying in

Ilfov County Ilfov () is the Counties of Romania, county that surrounds Bucharest, the capital of Romania. It used to be largely rural, but, after the fall of communism, many of the county's villages and communes developed into high-income commuter towns, whi ...

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

and was finally allowed to take the exam. Six years after her first attempt, in 1920, Negruzzi became the first woman allowed to practice law in Romania.

Career

After receiving her credentials, Negruzzi began practicing law in Galaţi and later moved to Bucharest. She continued her feminist activities, and in the interwar period, she and Meissner were the principal leaders of AECPFR. She became a prolific writer, touching on issues that limited women's participation, like their limited ability to obtain jobs and the restrictions which made them the most likely to be fired, if they did secure work. She worked to establish networks of vocational schools and worker cooperatives in rural areas to expand opportunities for women's employment. She also argued for the education and rehabilitation of

prostitutes Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-p ...

, rather than their social scorn. During the period leading to the adoption of the

1923 Constitution of Romania The 1923 Constitution of Romania, also called the Constitution of Union, was intended to align the organisation of the state on the basis of universal male suffrage and the new realities that arose after the Great Union of 1918. History Four ...

, worked tirelessly for women to be recognized as political actors. The changes women sought were somewhat successful and in Negruzzi joined the

National Peasants' Party The National Peasants' Party (also known as the National Peasant Party or National Farmers' Party; , or ''Partidul Național-Țărănist'', PNȚ) was an Agrarianism, agrarian political party in the Kingdom of Romania. It was formed in 1926 throu ...

. In 1929, when women were allowed to participate in local elections as candidates for the first time, she ran for office in Bucharest. Along with

Calypso Botez Calypso Botez (1880–1933), was a Romanian writer, Suffragette, suffragist and women's rights activist. Life Botez was born in 1880 in Bacău. She graduated from the University of Iasi. Botez then lived in Bucharest where she taught at a second ...

and

Alexandrina Cantacuzino Alexandrina "Didina" Cantacuzino ( Pallady; also known as Alexandrina Grigore Cantacuzino and (Francization, Francized) Alexandrine Cantacuzène; 20 September 1876 – 1944) was a Romanians, Romanian political activist, philanthropist and diploma ...

, Negruzzi became one of the first six women elected to serve as city council members. During the worldwide

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

of the 1930s, the Constitution changed again in 1932 to grant women nearly equal civil status as men, but at the same time, the government began a campaign to limit women's ability to work or receive social benefits. As the Nazis rose to power in Germany, Negruzzi spoke out against war and was an active

anti-fascist Anti-fascism is a political movement in opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals. Beginning in European countries in the 1920s, it was at its most significant shortly before and during World War II, where the Axis powers were op ...

. She helped found the Group of Democratic Lawyers () in 1935, to fight against the spread of fascism. In 1936, Negruzzi founded the organization

(), to train women in organizing to defend their cultural, socio-economic and political rights. Negruzzi became the target of numerous death threats for her defense of

Ana Pauker Ana Pauker (born Hannah Rabinsohn; 13 February 1893 – 3 June 1960) was a Romanian communist leader and served as the country's List of Romanian Foreign Ministers, foreign minister in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Ana Pauker became the world' ...

. When

King Carol II Carol II (4 April 1953) was King of Romania from 8 June 1930, until his forced abdication on 6 September 1940. As the eldest son of King Ferdinand I, he became crown prince upon the death of his grand-uncle, King Carol I, in 1914. He was the f ...

's regime evolved into a dictatorship and he forced the closure of AECPFR, she was forced to retreat from public participation, but refused to cooperate with his policies.

Death and legacy

Negruzzi died on 19 December 1948 in

. She was remembered for her prominent role in establishing women's rights in Romania.

References

Citations

Bibliography

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