Born: 26 November 1880 (Kannawurf, Germany)
Died: 21 December 1978
Biography:
Annie Leuch-Reineck (born Annie Reineck: 26 November 1880 – 21 December 1978) was a Swiss mathematician and women’s rights activist. She was one of the most influential participants in the Swiss women’s movement during the 1920s and 1930s.
Provenance and early years:
Annie Reineck was born in Kannawurf, a village in the countryside between Erfurt and Magdeburg in Germany. Her father, Erhard Reineck (1841–1932), was a Protestant church minister and superintendent originally from Magdeburg. Her mother, Marie Godet (1847–1936), was from Neuchâtel in francophone western Switzerland. Annie grew up in Kannawurf and later in nearby Heldrungen. She received her early education at the home of her elder sister, Theodora Reineck. Later, between 1895 and 1898, she attended the École Vinet, a secondary school in Lausanne. The school was headed up by her aunt, Sophie Godet.
Student life:
Annie Reineck enrolled at the University of Bern in 1901 or 1902. She studied Mathematics and various Natural Sciences, including Physics and Earth Sciences. In 1905, she received a secondary school teaching certificate. There were still very few female students at the university, and Annie became friends with several members of the small Bern Female Students’ Association. She formed lifelong friendships with pioneers of feminism, such as Gertrud Woker and physician Ida Hoff.
Teaching and Marriage:
In 1907, Annie Reineck became the first German-language woman at the University of Bern to receive a doctorate in Mathematics. Her dissertation focused on The relationship between spherical functions and Bessel functions. From 1907 to 1925, she taught at the Girls’ Secondary School and the training college for women teachers in Bern. In 1913, she married Georg Leuch, a commercial lawyer. He became a cantonal high court judge in 1920 and a Federal Supreme Court Judge in 1925, which led to their relocation to Lausanne. Annie resigned from her teaching positions in Bern to focus on her mathematics career and political activism.
Women’s rights advocacy:
Annie Leuch-Reineck was an ardent advocate for women’s rights. In 1916, she took on the leadership of the Bern section of the Swiss Association for Women’s Voting Rights. In 1919 or 1921, she co-founded the Bernese Women’s League. From 1920 to 1933, she campaigned for the rights of Swiss women to retain their Swiss citizenship if they married a foreigner. Annie served as a member of various legal commissions established by the League of Swiss Women’s Associations. In 1921, she co-organized the Second Swiss Congress for Women’s Interests.
Influence on society:
Annie Leuch-Reineck played a crucial role in advancing women’s rights in Switzerland. Her dedication to the cause and her leadership helped shape the Swiss women’s movement during the 1920s and 1930s. Through her advocacy work and participation in legal commissions, Annie worked tirelessly to ensure equal rights for Swiss women, even when married to foreigners. Her contributions paved the way for progress in gender equality and women’s empowerment in Swiss society.
Motivations and inspirations:
Annie Leuch-Reineck was motivated by a deep belief in the equality of women. Inspired by the suffrage movements of the early 20th century, she dedicated her life to advocating for women’s rights and challenging the societal norms that hindered their progress. Her own experiences as a female mathematician in a male-dominated field further fueled her determination to fight for gender equality in all aspects of life.
Role in women’s history:
Annie Leuch-Reineck’s role in women’s history cannot be overstated. As a mathematician and women’s rights activist, she challenged gender biases in academia and fought for equal opportunities for women in education and professional fields. Her leadership within the Swiss women’s movement helped shape the course of women’s rights in Switzerland, eventually leading to significant progress in gender equality.