María Lorenza Barreneche Iriarte (July 3, 1926 – January 5, 2016) was an Argentine public figure and wife of the late

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 ...

Raúl Alfonsín Raúl Ricardo Alfonsín (12 March 1927 – 31 March 2009) was an Argentine lawyer and statesman who served as President of Argentina from 10 December 1983 to 8 July 1989. He was the first democratically elected president after more than ...

. She held the position of

First Lady of Argentina First Lady or First Gentleman of Argentina ( es, Primera dama o Primer caballero de Argentina), also known as First Lady or First Gentleman of the Argentine Nation ( es, Primera dama o Primer caballero de la Nación Argentina), is the unofficial an ...

from 1983 until 1989. Barreneche was born in 1926 in

Chascomús Chascomús is the principal city in Chascomús Partido in eastern Buenos Aires Province of Argentina, located south of the capital Buenos Aires. In 2001, the city had a population of 30,670. History The city was founded as a fort (the ''Fortí ...

Buenos Aires Province Buenos Aires (), officially the Buenos Aires Province (''Provincia de Buenos Aires'' ), is the largest and most populous Argentine province. It takes its name from the city of Buenos Aires, the capital of the country, which used to be part of th ...

, to Felipe Barreneche Echaide (1898-1984) and María Lorenza Iriarte Hospital (1898-1989). She was of

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

descent. She met her husband,

, a law student who was also born in Chascomús, at a

masquerade ball A masquerade ball (or ''bal masqué'') is an event in which many participants attend in costume wearing a mask. (Compare the word "masque"—a formal written and sung court pageant.) Less formal "costume parties" may be a descendant of this tra ...

during the 1940s. The couple, who married in 1949, had six children: Raúl Felipe (b. 1949), Ana María (b. 1950),

Ricardo Ricardo is the Spanish and Portuguese cognate of the name Richard. It derived from Proto-Germanic ''*rīks'' 'king, ruler' + ''*harduz'' 'hard, brave'. It may be a given name, or a surname. People Given name *Ricardo de Araújo Pereira, Portugu ...

(b. 1952), Marcela (b. 1953), María Inés (b. 1954), and Javier Ignacio (b. 1956). Barreneche, who disliked politics, focused on raising their children during her husband's political career. Former President Raúl Alfonsín died on March 31, 2009. Barreneche Iriarte was unable to attend his state funeral due to her own poor health. Barreneche had suffered from declining health during her later life, including loss of eyesight and decreased mobility. She died in Buenos Aires on January 5, 2016, at the age of 89. Her remains were cremated at

La Chacarita Cemetery Cementerio de la Chacarita in Buenos Aires, Argentina, is known as the National Cemetery and is the largest in Argentina. Location The cemetery is in the barrio or district of Chacarita, in the western part of Buenos Aires. Its main entrance i ...

. She was buried in

La Recoleta Cemetery La Recoleta Cemetery ( es, Cementerio de la Recoleta) is a cemetery located in the Recoleta, Buenos Aires, Recoleta Barrios and Communes of Buenos Aires, neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina. It contains the graves of notable people, includi ...

in Buenos Aires. President

Mauricio Macri Mauricio Macri (; born 8 February 1959) is an Argentine businessman and politician who served as the President of Argentina from 2015 to 2019. He has been the leader of the Republican Proposal (PRO) party since its founding in 2005. He previo ...

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his condolences to her family.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barreneche, Maria Lorenza 1926 births 2016 deaths First Ladies and Gentlemen of Argentina Argentine socialites Argentine people of Basque descent People from Chascomús Burials at La Recoleta Cemetery