Marie Geelmuyden (born 22 July 1856 in

Horten is a town and municipality in Vestfold in Vestfold og Telemark county, Norway—located along the Oslofjord. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Horten. The municipality also includes the town of Åsgårdstrand ...

, died 21 May 1935) was a Norwegian chemist, teacher and textbook author. She was the first Norwegian woman to receive a degree in science.

Biography

She was the daughter of Christian Torber Hegge Geelmuyden (1816-1885) and Jensine Sophie Horn (1825-1913). The father was from the Dutch

Geelmuyden Geelmuyden is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * August Geelmuyden Spørck (1851–1928), Norwegian military officer and politician for the Liberal Party * Christian Torber Hegge Geelmuyden (1816–1885), Norwegian navy officer a ...

family and was a naval commander, author of science textbooks and mayor of Horten. The mother was the daughter of a customs inspector in

Risør is a municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located on the Skagerrak coast in the traditional region of Sørlandet. The administrative centre of Risør municipality is the town of Risør. There are many villages in Risør such as Akland, ...

. Marie Geelmuyden was the niece of Ivar Geelmuyden elected to the

Norwegian Parliament The Storting ( no, Stortinget ) (lit. the Great Thing) is the supreme legislature of Norway, established in 1814 by the Constitution of Norway. It is located in Oslo. The unicameral parliament has 169 members and is elected every four years base ...

in 1857, representing the constituency of Fredrikshald.Ivar Christian Sommerschild Geelmuyden
– Norwegian Social Science Data Services (NSD) Marie Geelmuyden graduated as a

governess A governess is a largely obsolete term for a woman employed as a private tutor, who teaches and trains a child or children in their home. A governess often lives in the same residence as the children she is teaching. In contrast to a nanny, th ...

from the Nissen governess school in 1878. She passed the

examen artium Examen artium was the name of the academic certification conferred in Denmark and Norway, qualifying the student for admission to university studies. Examen artium was originally introduced as the entrance exam of the University of Copenhagen in 1 ...

in 1883, and the examen philosophicum in 1884. The following year her father died and she began to study science at the university. Her classmates included Cecilie Thoresen Krog, Minda Ramm, Sofie Honoria Bonnevie (later married to

Vilhelm Bjerknes Vilhelm Friman Koren Bjerknes ( , ; 14 March 1862 – 9 April 1951) was a Norwegian physicist and meteorologist who did much to found the modern practice of weather forecasting. He formulated the primitive equations that are still in use in n ...

) and Ragna Dons. She also played an active role in the student community and was elected the first female president of the Student Scientific Society (“Realistforeningen”) in 1892. Marie Geelmuyden wrote about her time as a student in the article “Kammeratsliv blandt realister i 80-aarene”, which was printed in the book “Kvindelige studenters jubilæumsskrift”. Marie Geelmuyden graduated as a candidatus realium in 1890. In 1903 she studied at the

Sorbonne University Sorbonne University (french: Sorbonne Université; la Sorbonne: 'the Sorbonne') is a public research university located in Paris, France. The institution's legacy reaches back to 1257 when Sorbonne College was established by Robert de So ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...

. But she did not pursue a scientific career. After getting married and having children, she taught domestic subjects in local girls' schools. Later she became a science teacher in the

Royal Norwegian Society for Development The Royal Norwegian Society for Development ( no, Det Kongelige Selskap for Norges Vel, also known as ''Norges Vel'' 'Norwegian Development', originally called ''Selskabet for Norges Vel'' 'Norwegian Society for Development') is a general developm ...

schools throughout the country. In 1909, the national school for

housekeeping Housekeeping is the management and routine support activities of running an organised physical institution occupied or used by people, like a house, ship, hospital or factory, such as tidying, cleaning, cooking, routine maintenance, shopping, ...

teachers (“Statens husstellærerhøgskole”) in

Stabekk Stabekk is a suburban centre in the municipality of Bærum, Norway, west of Oslo. It is predominantly a residential area, with many residents commuting to Oslo. As of 2005 the population was 6,261. Bærum has the highest income per capita and the hi ...

, was established. Marie Geelmuyden was employed at the school the same year and thus became one of the first teachers at the school. She wrote a chemistry book for apprentice housewives: “Kjemi for husholdningsskoler”. She worked at the Stabekk school until 1926.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Geelmuyden, Marie 1856 births 1935 deaths 19th-century Norwegian women Norwegian feminists People from Horten Norwegian women chemists