Henriette Arendt


Henriette Arendt was a German writer and policewoman. She is known because she was one of the earliest women to be a police officer, being a policewoman in 1903.
She was the aunt of philosopher Hannah Arendt.

Life

Arendt was born in Königsberg in 1873. Her father, Max, was a Jewish merchant. Arendt was educated in her home town before she completed her studies in Geneva and Berlin. She is known because she was a policewoman in 1903 in Stuttgart. She was an enthusiast for her role and this brought her into dispute with her employers. She was intended to help with the arrest of suspected prostitutes but she gave talks and published essays on the problems she saw. Arendt resigned under the pressure from her superiors.
She subsequently moved to Switzerland where she worked in support of orphaned children and campaigned against the international trafficking of children. She reported on her work in particular in Erlebnisse einer Polizeiassistentin.
Arendt died in Mainz in 1922.