Aída Sullivan
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Aída Sullivan Coya, also known as Aída Sullivan de Rodríguez, (April 23, 1904 – August 17, 1975) was the
First Lady of Mexico The first lady of Mexico () or first gentleman of Mexico () is the informal title held by the spouse of the president of Mexico, concurrent with the president's term of office. The position has no legal foundation and was originally started as a ...
from 1932 to 1934, as well as the First Lady of the
state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...
of
Sonora Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora (), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is divided into Municipalities of Sonora, 72 ...
between 1943 and 1948. Sullivan was the third wife of
Mexican President The president of Mexico (), officially the president of the United Mexican States (), is the head of state and head of government of Mexico. Under the Constitution of Mexico, the president heads the executive branch of the federal government and ...
Abelardo L. Rodríguez Abelardo Rodríguez Luján, commonly known as Abelardo L. Rodríguez (; 12 May 1889 – 13 February 1967) was a Mexican military officer, businessman and politician who served as Substitute President of Mexico from 1932 to 1934. He completed th ...
.


Biography


Early life and marriage

Aida Sullivan was born in the city of
Puebla Puebla, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Puebla, is one of the 31 states that, along with Mexico City, comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 217 municipalities and its capital is Puebla City. Part of east-centr ...
. She was one of three daughters - Emma, Enriqueta, and herself - of John Sullivan, an
American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...
engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...
who worked in railroad construction, and his wife, María Coya, who was originally from
Cienfuegos Cienfuegos (), capital of Cienfuegos Province, is a city on the southern coast of Cuba. It is located about from Havana and has a population of 178,368 in 2022. Since the late 1960s, Cienfuegos has become one of Cuba's main industrial centers, ...
,
Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
. When her father died, Sullivan's mother married Julio Viderique Celis, the son of José Julio Anselmo de la Trinidad Viderique Ureña and Refugio Celis. The couple had three more daughters (who were Aida Sullivan's stepsisters): María Amparo, Elvira and Alma Julia Viderique Coya. Sullivan met the then-Governor of Baja California Territory, Abelardo L. Rodriguez, while in the territory. The couple were married in
Mexicali Mexicali (; ) is the capital city of the States of Mexico, Mexican state of Baja California. The city, which is the seat of the Mexicali Municipality, has a population of 689,775, according to the 2010 census, while the Calexico–Mexicali, Cale ...
on February 6, 1924. He was thirty-four years old at the time, while she was nineteen years old. It was Sullivan's first marriage and Rodriguez's third marriage. The couple had three children: Juan Abelardo, Fernando Julio and Abelardo.


First lady of Mexico

During her tenure as first lady, Sullivan accompanied her husband on official appearances and his trips around the world. She also took care of his health, as Rodríguez suffered from
diabetes Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...
. Sullivan continued the traditions of her predecessors. She focused on charitable work and organized the receptions and social activities of the presidency. Sullivan also championed two causes herself: the adoption of the Flag of the Americas in
Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
and the introduction of modern childcare practices in the country. In 1933, concerned about the country's high
infant mortality Infant mortality is the death of an infant before the infant's first birthday. The occurrence of infant mortality in a population can be described by the infant mortality rate (IMR), which is the number of deaths of infants under one year of age ...
rate, Sullivan wrote ''Libro para la madre mexicana'' (''Book For The Mexican Mother''), in which she urged women to adopt new hygienic and nutritional measures to improve the
quality of life Quality of life (QOL) is defined by the World Health Organization as "an individual's perception of their position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards ...
for their children.


Later life

To escape from politics, the Rodriguez family settled in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
for more than a year. In the 1940s, Abelardo L. Rodríguez became
Governor of Sonora List of governors of the Mexican state of Sonora since 1911: *2021–present Alfonso Durazo Morena (political party), MORENA *2015–2021 Claudia Pavlovich Arellano Institutional Revolutionary Party, PRI *2009–2015 Guillermo Padré ...
from 1943 to 1948. Aida Sullivan, as
Sonora Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora (), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is divided into Municipalities of Sonora, 72 ...
's first lady, established the Fundación Esposos Rodríguez, to grant scholarships to low-income students. In 1964, Sullivan's and Rodriguez's eldest son, Juan Abelardo, and their daughter-in-law, Janine Ratliff died in a plane crash. The couple had four young children, whom Sullivan and Rodríguez took into their care. Former President Abelardo L. Rodríguez died at the Scripps Clinic in
La Jolla, California La Jolla ( , ) is a hilly, seaside neighborhood in San Diego, California, occupying of curving coastline along the Pacific Ocean. The population reported in the 2010 census was 46,781. The climate is mild, with an average daily temperature o ...
, in 1967. Sullivan died eight years later in 1975 at her home in
Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...
. Aida Sullivan was buried at El Sauzal in
Ensenada, Baja California Ensenada ("inlet") is a city in Ensenada Municipality, Baja California, situated on the Pacific Coast of Mexico. Located on Bahía de Todos Santos, the city had a population of 279,765 in 2018, making it the List of cities in Baja California, th ...
.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sullivan, Aida 1904 births 1975 deaths First ladies and gentlemen of Mexico First ladies and gentlemen of Sonora Mexican people of American descent Mexican people of Cuban descent People from Puebla 20th-century Mexican women Mexican expatriates in the United Kingdom