Hildegard Björck

Thora Maria Fredrika Hildegard Björck (1 May 1847 – 7 April 1920) was the first Swedish woman to complete an academic degree.

She was the daughter of surveyor Carl Emanuel Björck and his wife Anna Charlotte Roman.

[7] In the spring of 1880, Björck was accepted at Lund University;[1][5] however, after suffering from measles and additional hearing problems, she stopped her studies and never became a licensed doctor.

[1][6] After both men died from old age, Björck worked as a private carer to a number of individuals in France, England and Switzerland.

[1] One of them, Julia Ewelöf, became a close friend, and they lived together in Lausanne in the same dwelling until Björck's death on 7 April 1920.