Francesca Maria Barbara Donner ( ko, 프란체스카 도너; ''Peurancheseuka Doneo''; June 15, 1900March 19, 1992) was the inaugural
First Lady of South Korea
The first lady of the Republic of Korea (, informally referred to as FLOTROK or FLOSK), commonly known as the first lady of South Korea, is the titled held by the hostess of the Presidential Residence of South Korea, presidential residence, usual ...
, from 1948 to 1960, as the second wife of
Syngman Rhee
Syngman Rhee (, ; 26 March 1875 – 19 July 1965) was a South Korean politician who served as the first president of South Korea from 1948 to 1960.
Rhee was also the first and last president of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Ko ...
, the first president of the Republic of Korea.
Personal name
According to birth documents, she was born Franziska Donner. She later used the spelling Franzeska Donner (even in official documents). Otherwise, the most common spelling of her name was the Italian form, Francesca. This version is used in all of her South Korean documents (including her passport).
Early life and education
Donner was born in the municipality of
Inzersdorf, a suburb of the capital Vienna which was incorporated into the City of Vienna, into the family of a soda water industrialist. She was the daughter of Franziska (Gerhartl) and Rudolf Donner. She graduated with a Ph.D. in languages from the
University of Vienna
The University of Vienna (german: Universität Wien) is a public research university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world. With its long and rich histor ...
, before working at the
League of Nations
The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...
in Geneva as an interpreter and lower-level diplomat. In 1933, she met Korean politician
Syngman Rhee
Syngman Rhee (, ; 26 March 1875 – 19 July 1965) was a South Korean politician who served as the first president of South Korea from 1948 to 1960.
Rhee was also the first and last president of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Ko ...
(Yi Seung-man 이승만) in a Geneva hotel. At the time Rhee was living in the United States and was on a visit in Geneva. He visited Donner shortly afterwards in Austria and asked to marry her. Donner followed him to the United States and the marriage took place in 1934 in New York.
[Yi Sun-ae, ''Peurancheseuka Ri Seutori'' (Seoul: Raendeom Hauseu Jungang, 2005).] For both, it was their second marriage.
Career
Donner and Rhee lived initially in New York and Washington, D.C., and then in Hawaii, where a large Korean expatriate community-in-exile was politically active. Donner worked in the U.S. as Rhee's secretary, particularly in the preparation of the book ''Japan Inside Out'' (1940).
After the
defeat of Japan
The surrender of the Empire of Japan in World War II was announced by Emperor Hirohito on 15 August and formally signed on 2 September 1945, bringing the war's hostilities to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy ...
in World War II, Rhee returned to Korea in October 1945 with the support of the U.S. government and Donner followed him there a few months later.
In March 1948, Rhee was elected first president of South Korea, an office he held until 1960. "Francesca Rhee" was from 1948 to 1960 the first First Lady of South Korea. She appeared at her husband's side in almost all public functions.
When the Rhees were forced into exile in 1960, they settled in Hawaii. Donner cared for her husband after he suffered a
stroke
A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...
and until his death on July 19, 1965. She then returned to Austria.
Later life
After five years of residence in Austria, which she had left more than 30 years earlier, Donner returned to South Korea in 1970. She lived from 1970 to 1992 in Seoul, specifically in the
Ihwajang, the former home of President Rhee, together with their adopted son, (; ''Yi In-su'') and his family.
Death
Donner died on March 19, 1992, in Seoul, South Korea.
See also
*
First Lady of South Korea
The first lady of the Republic of Korea (, informally referred to as FLOTROK or FLOSK), commonly known as the first lady of South Korea, is the titled held by the hostess of the Presidential Residence of South Korea, presidential residence, usual ...
*
Chiang Fang-liang
Faina Chiang Fang-liang (, born Faina Ipat'evna Vakhreva (russian: Фаина Ипатьевна Вахрева, be, Фаіна Іпацьеўна Вахрава; 15 May 1916 – 15 December 2004) was the First Lady of the Republic of China ...
*
Ruth Williams Khama
Ruth Williams Khama, Lady Khama (9 December 1923 – 22 May 2002) was the wife of Botswana's first president Sir Seretse Khama, the Paramount Chief of its Bamangwato tribe. She served as the inaugural First Lady of Botswana from 1966 to 1980.
...
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Donner, Francesca
1900 births
1992 deaths
Austrian women in politics
Austrian emigrants to South Korea
First Ladies of South Korea
People from Liesing
Austrian expatriates in the United States
Burials at Seoul National Cemetery