Emília Kováčová (8 February 1931 – 31 December 2020) was a Slovak

economist An economist is a professional and practitioner in the social sciences, social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy. Within this ...

and professor of

employment Employment is a relationship between two parties regulating the provision of paid labour services. Usually based on a contract, one party, the employer, which might be a corporation, a not-for-profit organization, a co-operative, or any othe ...

and

social development Social development can refer to: * Psychosocial development * Social change * Social development theory * Social Development (journal) * Social emotional development * Social progress or social regress The word decadence, which at first meant ...

at the

University of Economics in Bratislava The University of Economics in Bratislava ( sk, Ekonomická univerzita v Bratislave) is the oldest university of economics in Slovakia. History The university was established in 1940 as a private university under the name Vysoká obchodná škol ...

. She served as the country's first

first lady of Slovakia First Lady of Slovakia or First Gentleman of Slovakia (''Prvá Dáma'' in Slovak language, Slovak) is the title attributed to the wife or husband of the president of Slovakia. The country's current first gentleman is Juraj Rizman, partner of Pres ...

from 1993 until 1998. Kováčová's husband, Michal Kováč, became the first

President of Slovakia The president of the Slovak Republic ( sk, Prezident Slovenskej republiky) is the head of state of Slovakia and the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces. The president is directly elected by the people for five years, and can be elected for ...

upon the

dissolution of Czechoslovakia The dissolution of Czechoslovakia ( cs, Rozdělení Československa, sk, Rozdelenie Česko-Slovenska) took effect on December 31, 1992, and was the self-determined split of the federal republic of Czechoslovakia into the independent countries o ...

in 1993. Emília Kováčová, likewise, became the first First Lady in Slovakia's history. Kováčová created and established the protocols for the new office of the First Lady. She also oversaw the restoration of Grassalkovich Palace, the country's presidential palace, during the 1990s while continuing to live at the Kováčs private home. She continued to teach economics during her tenure. In a 1998 interview with ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'', Kováčová noted that she admired then-

U.S. First Lady The first lady of the United States (FLOTUS) is the title held by the hostess of the White House, usually the wife of the president of the United States, concurrent with the president's term in office. Although the first lady's role has never ...

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...

. Kováčová continued to teach at the

after leaving office in 1998. She also focused on her foundation, established during her tenure as first lady, which worked to help the elderly and improve educational opportunities in Slovakia.

References

1931 births 2020 deaths First ladies of Slovakia Academic staff of the University of Economics in Bratislava 20th-century Slovak politicians 20th-century Slovak women politicians Politicians from Bratislava {{EU-economist-stub