First Lady Of Chile
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The First Lady of Chile ( es, Primera Dama de Chile) is the title for the wife of the
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 ...
, who is traditionally responsible for directing and coordinating activities in the social field of the presidency and also accompany the president in ceremonies or official activities, for example, on
state visit A state visit is a formal visit by a head of state to a foreign country, at the invitation of the head of state of that foreign country, with the latter also acting as the official host for the duration of the state visit. Speaking for the host ...
. Although not an official title, it is widely used in formal protocol and has been used in some decrees.


History

In
colonial times The ''Colonial Times'' was a newspaper in what is now the Australian state of Tasmania. It was established as the ''Colonial Times, and Tasmanian Advertiser'' in 1825 in Hobart, Van Diemen's Land Van Diemen's Land was the colon ...
, the wives of the royal governors (known also as "presidents") were called ''Presidentas''. The title was still in use after Chile become a republic in the 19th century; the term, was slowly superseded by the newer ''First Lady'', similar to the one used in other countries. Due to the complex evolution of the Head of State of Chile after the emancipation from Spain and the non-official character of the title, it is not possible to define who was the "first First Lady". Potential options include: * María Nicolasa Valdés, wife of Mateo de Toro Zambrano, former Royal Governor and first President of the Government Junta (1810). * Mercedes Fontecilla, wife of
José Miguel Carrera José Miguel Carrera Verdugo (; October 15, 1785 – September 4, 1821) was a Chilean general, formerly Spanish military, member of the prominent Carrera family, and considered one of the founders of independent Chile. Carrera was the most impor ...
, first Commander-in-Chief of the
Chilean Army The Chilean Army ( es, Ejército de Chile) is the land arm of the Military of Chile. This 80,000-person army (9,200 of which are conscripts) is organized into six divisions, a special operations brigade and an air brigade. In recent years, and a ...
and president of the Provisional Government Junta (1811–1813) * Isabel Riquelme, mother of
Bernardo O'Higgins Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme (; August 20, 1778 – October 24, 1842) was a Chilean independence leader who freed Chile from Spanish rule in the Chilean War of Independence. He was a wealthy landowner of Basque-Spanish and Irish ancestry. Althou ...
, first Supreme Director of Chile as an independent country (1818–1823). * Carmen Gana, wife of
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 ...
, first President of the Republic of Chile (1826). During the 19th and early 20th century, the First Lady was considered one of the most influential figures of Chilean
high society High society, sometimes simply society, is the behavior and lifestyle of people with the highest levels of wealth and social status. It includes their related affiliations, social events and practices. Upscale social clubs were open to men based ...
. As the wife of the President, the first ladies fulfilled the role as hostesses of ceremonies, especially after the President moved to the
La Moneda Palace Palacio de La Moneda (, ''Palace of the Mint''), or simply La Moneda, is the seat of the President of the Republic of Chile. It also houses the offices of three cabinet ministers: Interior, General Secretariat of the Presidency and General Secreta ...
in 1845, and were in charge of the decoration of the presidential residences. Also, they participated in several charities and promoted different causes:
Delfina de la Cruz Delfina de la Cruz Zañartu (24 February 1837 Concepción, Chile – 8 May 1905 Concepción, Chile) was a Chilean pianist and First Lady of Chile. She was the only child of General José María de la Cruz and his wife Josefa Zañartu, and grandd ...
and
Emilia Márquez de la Plata Emilia may refer to: People * Emilia (given name), list of people with this name Places * Emilia (region), a historical region of Italy. Reggio, Emilia * Emilia-Romagna, an administrative region in Italy, including the historical regions of Emi ...
, for example, organized events to support injured veterans, orphans and widowers caused by the
War of the Pacific The War of the Pacific ( es, link=no, Guerra del Pacífico), also known as the Saltpeter War ( es, link=no, Guerra del salitre) and by multiple other names, was a war between Chile and a Bolivian–Peruvian alliance from 1879 to 1884. Fought ...
. In 1925, the First Lady had their own private office and staff, to support her role as the president of different charitable organizations created by the government. During the 20th century, the role of the First Lady increased, in line with the empowered role women had in politics and became more visible to the general public, not just for the high society.
Juana Rosa Aguirre Juana Rosa Aguirre Luco (November 20, 1877 – December 8, 1962) was First Lady of Chile (between December 25, 1938- November 25, 1941) and the wife of President Pedro Aguirre Cerda, who was also her cousin. Biography She was the daughter of th ...
, wife of
Pedro Aguirre Cerda Pedro Abelino Aguirre Cerda (; February 6, 1879 – November 25, 1941) was a Chilean political figure, educator, and lawyer who served as the 22nd president of Chile from 1938 until his death in 1941. A member of the Radical Party since 1906, ...
(president between 1938 and 1941), promoted the adoption of
women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...
and helped the people affected by the 1939 Chillán earthquake. Other foundations created by the First Ladies by the middle of the 20th century included the Ropero del Pueblo (1947–1958) and CEMA Chile (1967–1990). At the moment, no male presidential spouse has existed. The title of
First Gentleman First lady is an unofficial title usually used for the wife, and occasionally used for the daughter or other female relative, of a non-monarchical head of state or chief executive. The term is also used to describe a woman seen to be at the t ...
(''Primer Caballero'') has been proposed for this case, although colloquially the term ''Primer Damo'' was used to refer to Bachelet's son Sebastián Dávalos when he acted as her representative.


Vacancy

The role of the First Lady has been vacant in six times, once by the death of the title holder and five times when the President has not been married. Usually in these cases, the role has been assumed by a close female relative. * During
Bernardo O'Higgins Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme (; August 20, 1778 – October 24, 1842) was a Chilean independence leader who freed Chile from Spanish rule in the Chilean War of Independence. He was a wealthy landowner of Basque-Spanish and Irish ancestry. Althou ...
's rule as Supreme Director (1818-1823), his mother Isabel Riquelme acted in ceremonies similarly to a contemporary First Lady. *During
Carlos Ibáñez del Campo General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo (; 3 November 1877 – 28 April 1960) was a Chilean Army officer and political figure. He served as President twice, first between 1927 and 1931, and then from 1952 to 1958, serving for 10 years in office. T ...
's first presidency (1927-1931), before his marriage with Graciela Letelier in December 1927. *During
Arturo Alessandri Arturo Fortunato Alessandri Palma (; December 20, 1868 – August 24, 1950) was a Chilean political figure and reformer who served thrice as president of Chile, first from 1920 to 1924, then from March to October 1925, and finally from 1932 to 1 ...
's second presidency (1932-1938), after his wife Rosa Rodríguez Velasco died in 1936. *During
Jorge Alessandri Jorge Eduardo Alessandri Rodríguez (; 19 May 1896 – 31 August 1986) was the 27th President of Chile from 1958 to 1964, and was the candidate of the Chilean right in the crucial presidential election of 1970, which he lost to Salvador All ...
's presidency (1958-1962), the role was assumed by Louise Schäffer, wife of Sótero del Río, his minister of Interior. * During
Michelle Bachelet Verónica Michelle Bachelet Jeria (; born 29 September 1951) is a Chilean politician who served as United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2018 to 2022. She previously served as President of Chile from 2006 to 2010 and 2014 to 201 ...
's first presidency (2006-2010), the Director of the Social-Cultural Area of the Presidency was held first by former minister Adriana Delpiano and later by María Eugenia Hirmas, wife of minister Sergio Bitar. During her second presidency (2014-2018), the role was held first by her son Sebastián Dávalos and later by Paula Forttes. However, the ceremonial role of First Lady was unofficially fulfilled by Bachelet's mother,
Ángela Jeria Ángela Margarita Jeria Gómez (22 August 19262 July 2020) was a Chilean archaeologist. Mother of the President of Chile Michelle Bachelet, she was the wife of the Chilean Air Force Brigadier General Alberto Bachelet, who died after being tortu ...
. Although not married, President-elect
Gabriel Boric Gabriel Boric Font (; born 11 February 1986) is a Chilean left-wing politician who is the 37th and current president of Chile, serving since 11 March 2022. Boric studied in the Faculty of Law at the University of Chile, and was the president o ...
announced that the role of the First Lady will be assumed by his couple and girlfriend
Irina Karamanos Irina Sabine Alice Karamanos Adrian (born 29 October 1989) is a Chilean anthropologist and political scientist. She is the domestic partner of Gabriel Boric, the 36th President of Chile, who was inaugurated on 11 March 2022, so she took the role ...
.


Director of the Social-Cultural Area of the Presidency

Michelle Bachelet, a divorced woman, created an administrative position under her direct appointment, the ''Director of the social-cultural area of the Presidency'', to absorbe the different non-profit foundations of the presidency (''Red de Fundaciones de la Presidencia de la República'') that were traditionally managed by the First Lady. The foundations included are Integra, Promoción y Desarrollo de la Mujer, Prodemu (Women's promotion and development); Fundación de la Familia; Tiempos Nuevos; Museo Interactivo Mirador; Matucana 100 Cultural Center; the Chilean Youth Orchestras; Artesanías de Chile (Arts and crafts) and Todo Chilenter.


List of first ladies


Footnotes


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:First Ladies Of Chile
Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...