Verena Conzett
Swiss publisher and labor activist / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Verena Conzett (28 November 1861 – 14 November 1947) was a Swiss magazine publisher, labor activist, and women's rights activist. She became the first president of the Swiss Women Workers' Union [de] in 1890.[1][2] Her own experience as a child factory worker led to her lifelong advocacy for insurance protection and shorter working hours.[3][4] Following the death of her husband in 1897, Conzett took over his print shop, narrowly escaping bankruptcy.[5] A decade later, she acquired a Linotype typesetting machine and expanded the business into the Conzett & Huber publishing house.[6] In 1908, Conzett launched the illustrated magazine In freien Stunden, and established herself as a successful entrepreneur.[7] Subscriptions to the magazine included accident insurance, which had not yet been mandated by law in Switzerland.[8] Her autobiography, Erstrebtes und Erlebtes, was first published in 1929.[9] Now in its third edition,[10] it has been called "the longest and most literate" of the autobiographies of late 19th-century working-class women written in German.[11] Verena-Conzett-Strasse in Zürich is named after her.[12]
Verena Conzett | |
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Born | Verena Knecht 28 November 1861 Zürich, Switzerland |
Died | 14 November 1947(1947-11-14) (aged 85) Kilchberg, Switzerland |
Other names | Verena Conzett-Knecht |
Political party | Social Democratic Party of Switzerland |
Spouse | Conrad Conzett (m. 1883–1897) |