Jeanette Olsen

Who was Jeanette Olsen?

Jeanette Martine Olsen was a Norwegian editor and politician for the Labour and Communist parties.

She was born in Kristiania. Her first political position was as leader of the local women's branch in Skien Labour Party from 1907 to 1912. From 1911 to 1913 she was a national board member of the Labour Party women's association. She was also a board member of the county branch in Bratsberg. In 1913 she was hired as manager of the newspaper Haugesunds Folkeblad, and she became editor-in-chief in the same year.

The family moved to Tromsø in 1914, where she became manager in Nordlys and then secretary of Nord-Norsk Fiskerforbund from 1917 to 1919. She was also a member of Tromsø city council from 1916 to 1919. In 1919 she was hired as manager in Fremover, and sat for some time as a member of Narvik city council. While living in Northern Norway she was also involved in smuggling from the Russian SFSR.