Þórunn Jónassen

[1][2] Alongside her in City Council were three other newly elected women; Bríet Bjarnhéðinsdóttir, Guðrún Björnsdóttir and Katrín Magnússon.

[3][4] Born in Ketilsstaðir á Völlum near Vallanes in eastern Iceland, Þórunn Jónassen was the daughter of Pétur Havstein, a magistrate, and Guðrún Hannesdóttir Stephensen.

On returning to Iceland, in 1871 she married Jónasi Jónassen, a physician at Reykjavík's hospital.

[1] In 1875, Þórunn was elected the first chair of Thorvaldsensfélagið, a women's association dedicated to promoting public health and to assisting those in difficulty.

[1] She also served as secretary of the National Health Insurance Board and was elected to the city council of Reykjavík in 1908.