María del Carmen Gana López (180015 April 1880) was a Chilean aristocrat and a

First Lady of Chile The First Lady of Chile ( es, Primera Dama de Chile) is the title for the wife of the president of Chile, who is traditionally responsible for directing and coordinating activities in the social field of the presidency and also accompany the presi ...

Biography

Gana López was the daughter of Agustín Domingo Gana y Darrigrande and María Dolores López y Guerrero Villaseñor. She married

Manuel Blanco Encalada Manuel José Blanco y Calvo de Encalada (; April 21, 1790 – September 5, 1876) was a vice-admiral in the Chilean Navy, a political figure, and Chile's first President (Provisional) (1826). Biography Born in Buenos Aires which was the capital ...

on 29 November 1818, and together they had 6 children. She was a confidant and adviser for her husband throughout his political career. Blanco acted as Interim

President of Chile The president of Chile ( es, Presidente de Chile), officially known as the President of the Republic of Chile ( es, Presidente de la República de Chile), is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Chile. The president is re ...

from 9 July 1826 until 9 September 1826, during which Gana served as First Lady. In spite of her short tenure, Gana used her position as an opportunity to act on her passion for social service. She arranged for her husband to allow the Congregation of the Good Shepherd, a

Catholic religious order In the Catholic Church, a religious order is a community of consecrated life with members that profess solemn vows. They are classed as a type of religious institute. Subcategories of religious orders are: * canons regular (canons and canone ...

, to establish the first orphanage in San Felipe. During her husband's tenure as a minister to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, their home in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

became a point of gathering for distinguished Americans and Europeans. Gana was also a close friend of many Parisian artists and intellectuals. While in Paris, Gana's daughter Teresa married a wealthy Chilean man. Teresa's godparents during the ceremony were

Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was the first President of France (as Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte) from 1848 to 1852 and the last monarch of France as Emperor of the French from 1852 to 1870. A nephew ...

and

Eugénie de Montijo ''Doña'' María Eugenia Ignacia Agustina de Palafox y Kirkpatrick, 19th Countess of Teba, 16th Marchioness of Ardales (5 May 1826 – 11 July 1920), known as Eugénie de Montijo (), was Empress of the French from her marriage to Emperor Napo ...

. Gana maintained a permanent correspondence with the couple even after her return to

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...

. Gana died 15 April 1880, and is buried in the Cementerio General de Santiago.

References

1800 births 1880 deaths People from Santiago First ladies of Chile 19th-century Chilean people {{Chile-bio-stub