María Josefina Herrando Puig (born April 26, 1930) is a Uruguayan politician and former

First Lady of Uruguay First Lady of Uruguay (Spanish: ''Primera Dama de Uruguay'') is the unofficial and protocol title of the wife of the President of Uruguay, and hostess of Suarez Residence. The first lady is not an elected position, carries no official duties and bri ...

from 1972 until 1976. She is the widow of

Juan María Bordaberry Juan María Bordaberry Arocena (; 17 June 1928 – 17 July 2011) was a Uruguayan politician and cattle rancher, who served as constitutional President from 1972 until 1973, and then ruled as the head of a civilian-military dictatorship up t ...

, the constitutionally elected

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

from 1972 to 1973 and

de facto ''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...

presidential dictator from 1973 to 1976 as the head of the

Civic-military dictatorship of Uruguay The civic-military dictatorship of Uruguay (1973–85), also known as the Uruguayan Dictatorship, was an authoritarian military dictatorship that ruled Uruguay for 12 years, from June 27, 1973 (after the U.S. backed 1973 coup d'état) until Ma ...

. Herrando, who is nicknamed "China", is the country's oldest living former first lady.

Biography

Herrán and her late husband, Bordaberry, had nine children, including

Pedro Bordaberry Juan Pedro Bordaberry Herrán (born 28 April 1960) is a Uruguayan attorney, lecturer and politician, who served as a Senator of the Republic from 2010 to 2020, as Minister of Tourism and Sports from 2003 to 2005, and as Minister of Industry, Ene ...

, a former

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

from 2015 to 2020 and

Minister of Tourism The Minister of Tourism is the head of the governmental department that specializes in tourism, recreation and/or culture. The position exists in many different countries under several names: *Ministry of Tourism and Environment (Albania) * Minist ...

from 2003 to 2005 in the cabinet of

Jorge Batlle Jorge Luis Batlle Ibáñez (; ''Batlle'' locally or ; 25 October 1927 – 24 October 2016) was a Uruguayan politician and lawyer, and a member of the Colorado Party. He served as the President of Uruguay from 2000 to 2005. Dr. Jorge Batlle ...

. In 1973, as the country's first lady, Herrando founded the Social Coordination Volunteer Corps (VCS), a non-profit which continues to develop programs for patients in hospitals, as well as in the community. VCS is made up of approximately 150 volunteers. Herrando has served as the organization's president. Herrán's husband, Juan María Bordaberry, was sentenced to 30 years in prison for violations of the constitution and human rights abuses. He died under house arrest in July 2011.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Herran, Josefina Living people 1930 births First ladies of Uruguay Colorado Party (Uruguay) politicians Politicians from Montevideo