Anne Beffort was the daughter of a gardener and a seamstress who settled in Neudorf, then in Clausen. One of ten siblings, she was born on 4 July 1880 in Neudorf. She first studied at the Sainte Sophie boarding school in Luxembourg. She continued her university studies in Munster and at the Sorbonne, where she was a student of Gustave Lanson. To finance her studies, Anne Beffort was able to obtain a government grant. She admits in her memoirs: "[...] What a surprise to find female students of all nationalities at the Sorbonne, but no Luxembourg women. I was ashamed of this absence of women, of this cultural backwardness. Together with Marie Speyer, she was the first Luxembourg woman to obtain a doctorate in 1908 and was one of the first female teachers at the Lycée de jeunes filles in Luxembourg. From 1929 onwards, this pioneer of women's education was president of the Association of former pupils of the Lycée de jeunes filles.
Anne Beffort was a woman of letters and a fervent defender of the French language and literature. She is a founding member of the SELF and a member of Amitiés françaises. She wrote numerous articles which appeared in the Cahiers luxembourgeois, the Luxemburger Zeitung, the Journal des professeurs and the Luxemburger Wort. An admirer of Victor Hugo, she was involved in the acquisition of the house in which he was exiled in Vianden and worked to have it converted into a literary museum. From 1935 until her death, Anne Beffort was president of the Friends of Victor Hugo's house.
Anne Beffort was a unique person: courageous, she refused to wear the swastika during the Occupation and was expelled from school; dedicated, she devoted herself to the education of girls and to literature; Spartan, she maintained a modest lifestyle.
In 1948, French Prime Minister Robert Schuman awarded her the Légion d'honneur. Anne Beffort died in Davos in 1966.
Sources :
● Germaine Goetzinger und Claude D. Conter: Anne Beffort, dans : Luxemburger Autorenlexikon, Centre National de Littérature Mersch, 2007, pp.43-44.
● Renée Wagener: Une femme du 20e siècle, article paru au WOXX magazine 684 – 14/3/2003 p. 12.
● Gilbert Trausch: Robert Schuman dans ses liens avec le Luxembourg en général et Clausen en particulier, dans: Fanfare Grande-Ducale de Clausen, 150e anniversaire, Luxembourg, 2001, p. 36.
● Dr Sonja Kmec / Renée Wagener: Frauenleben, Frauenlegenden – ein Streifzug durch 1000 Jahre Stadtgeschichte, Luxembourg City Tourist Office 2007.