Sophie Seggel

Sophie Seggel (born March 13, 1875 in Bad Reichenhall , † April 11, 1961 in Bremerhaven ) was a German women's rights activist.

Life

Seggel was the daughter of the Bavarian councilor and spa doctor Dr. Adolf Schmid. In 1902 she married the surgeon Dr. Rudolf Seggel. Both had two children, the son Rolf Seggel (1910–1968), company director and member of the Bremen citizenship (FDP), and a daughter.

In 1904 her husband became chief physician in Geestemünde . She became a member of the Fatherland Women's Association (VFV) of the German Red Cross here in 1905 and she was actively involved in their social projects. One focus was the care of illegitimate children, which she headed during the First World War . During this time, she gave lectures on strengthening the legal and social position of women.

In 1919 she became a member of the liberal German Democratic Party (DDP). From 1919 to 1924 she was mayor of the city ​​council in Geestemünde .
In 1924 she was one of the founders of the Stadtfrauenbund , an amalgamation of 35 women's associations in Wesermünde and Bremerhaven. Here she succeeded in intensifying the cooperation between municipal institutions and independent charities . This organization was dissolved again by the Nazis in 1933 .
From 1945 she was able to contribute to the rapid development of the welfare associations. In addition, she gave numerous lectures on literature, painting and art as well as women's issues. She was active in the women's association of the Protestant Church and in the women's club of the German-American Society in Bremerhaven as part of the Bremerhaven women's movement.

Honors

• Federal Cross of Merit 1st Class (1955)

Literature, sources

• Helmut Bickelmann: Seggel, Sophie, b. Schmid . In: Women's history (s) , Bremer Frauenmuseum (ed.). Edition Falkenberg, Bremen 2016, ISBN 978-3-95494-095-0 .