Charlotte Norrie

Charlotte Norrie was born in Altona, Denmark, on 12 October 1855. She was the daughter of Major-General Johannes Harbou and his philanthropist wife Louise Harbou. She moved to Copenhagen in 1863 and worked as a governess at Juulskov Manor on Funen until 1880. She then became a nursing apprentice at Copenhagen's General Hospital where she met her future husband, Gordon Norrie, a doctor. They married in 1885 and had three children. Norrie was a pioneer in the field of nursing and ran courses in basic skills and first-aid treatment. She also advocated for the establishment of a professional school of nursing, which was realized in 1910 at Rigshospitalet. She was a co-founder and the first president of Dansk Sygeplejeråd (Danish Nursing Council) and an honorary member of the International Council of Nurses. Norrie was also involved in the women's rights movement and joined Dansk Kvindesamfund (Danish Women's Society) in the late 1890s. She was a co-founder and a leader of several organizations, such as Dansk Kvinderåd (Danish Women's Council), Danske Kvinders Valgretsforbund (Danish Women's Suffrage Association), International Woman Suffrage Alliance, Kvinde-vælger-klubberne (Women Voters' Clubs), and Danske Kvinders Forsvarsforening (Danish Women's Defence Association). She campaigned for women's voting rights, social welfare, and national defence. She died in Copenhagen on 19 December 1940 at the age of 85.