Josefina Valencia Muñoz (22 September 1913 – 4 October 1991) was a Colombian politician, and the first woman to be appointed governor of a Colombian department as Governor of Cauca, and the first woman to be appointed to a cabinet-level position as the 46th Minister of National Education of Colombia. A leader of the

women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the women's rights, right of women to Suffrage, vote in elections. Several instances occurred in recent centuries where women were selectively given, then stripped of, the right to vote. In Sweden, conditional women's suffra ...

movement in Colombia, she became the first woman to be appointed to serve in a national legislative position in Colombia as part of the National Constituent Assembly in 1954 where she helped introduce what would eventually be the '' Legislative Act No. 3'', which modified Article 171 of the

Colombian Constitution of 1886 The Colombian Constitution of 1886 was the constitution that remade the United States of Colombia into the Republic of Colombia, and replaced the federal republic with a unitary state. Following the Colombian Civil War (1884–1885), a coalitio ...

that granted

universal suffrage Universal suffrage or universal franchise ensures the right to vote for as many people bound by a government's laws as possible, as supported by the " one person, one vote" principle. For many, the term universal suffrage assumes the exclusion ...

to women.

Background

Josefina was born in

Popayán Popayán () is the capital of the Colombian department of Cauca. It is located in the Pubenza Valley in southwestern Colombia between the Western Mountain Range and Central Mountain Range. The municipality has a population of 318,059, an a ...

on 22 September 1913 to Guillermo Valencia Castillo and Josefina Muñoz Muñoz, the third of five children, her siblings were Guillermo León, Álvaro Pío, Luz and Guimar. In 1943 she married Enrique Hubach Eggers, a Chilean geologist and scientist; Enrique and Josefina had three daughters: Martha, Erna, and a third who died at a young age.

Career

Valencia was already familiar with the politics of Colombia in the 1950s; her father, Guillermo Valencia had been an active member of the

Colombian Conservative Party The Colombian Conservative Party () is a conservative political party in Colombia. The party was formally established in 1849 by Mariano Ospina Rodríguez and José Eusebio Caro. The Conservative Party along with the Colombian Liberal Party ...

, a Congressman,

Minister of Finance A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position . A ministry of finance's portfolio ...

, Governor, and presidential candidate in the elections of 1918, and

1930 Events January * January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will be on J ...

, and her brother Guillermo León had been Councilman, Congressman,

Minister of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and foreign relations, relations, diplomacy, bilateralism, ...

, and Ambassador. In April 1954, the National Feminist Organization of Colombia under the leadership of former

First Lady of Colombia First Lady of Colombia (First Lady of the Nation) is the title held by the hostess of the Casa de Nariño, generally the wife of the president of Colombia, coinciding with the president's tenure. The role of the first lady has never been codifie ...

Bertha Hernández Fernández Bertha Hernández de Ospina (née Hernández Fernández; 17 April 1907 – 11 September 1993) was a Colombian politician, writer, columnist, and civil leader for women's rights. She served as First Lady of Colombia from 1946 to 1950 as the wife ...

, and

María Currea Manrique María Currea Manrique (28 May 1890 – 23 May 1985) was a Colombian feminist, suffragist, politician, nurse and journalist. She was instrumental in pressuring for laws in Colombia which recognized women's right to citizenship, education, and enf ...

. When General

Gustavo Rojas Pinilla Gustavo Rojas Pinilla (12 March 1900 – 17 January 1975) was a Colombian National Army of Colombia, army general, civil engineer and politician who ruled as List of presidents of Colombia, 19th President of Colombia in a military dictatorship f ...

came to power in a

military coup d'état A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...

, the women's suffrage movement had an ideological split between those who opposed military rule and those who supported the regime. Valencia seized the opportunity and joined the

National Popular Alliance The National Popular Alliance or ANAPO (''Alianza Nacional Popular'') was a political party in Colombia. It was founded in 1961 as a movement by the ex-president Gustavo Rojas Pinilla and was disbanded in 1998. Many ANAPO leaders and militants joi ...

, a political movement started by General Rojas. Valencia became a supporter and confidant of General Rojas in a time when the support of women was becoming more and more important. Her direct lobbying to the President paid off, On 28 July 1954 in an unusual move, General Rojas who had maintained the National Constituent Assembly that had been started by his predecessor, the deposed

Roberto Urdaneta Arbeláez Roberto Urdaneta Arbeláez (27 June 1890 – 20 August 1972) was a Colombian Conservative party politician and lawyer who served as Acting President of Colombia from November 1951 until June 1953, while President Laureano Gómez was absent due ...

, named Valencia Member of the National Assembly in representation of the Conservative Party with Teresa Santamaría Santamaría as her alternate, thus becoming the first woman to serve in a Colombian national legislative body; she was later joined by

Esmeralda Arboleda Cadavid María Esmeralda Arboleda Cadavid (January 7, 1921 – 16 April 1997) was a Colombian politician, suffragist and the first woman elected to the Senate of Colombia, serving from 1958 to 1961. A leader of the women's suffrage movement in Colombi ...

in representation of the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

with

as her alternate. They joined forces and introduced the ''Legislative Act on the Citizenship of Women'' to be studied and debated by the Assembly. On 25 August 1954 the

plenary Plenary is an adjective related to the noun plenum carrying a general connotation of fullness. Plenary may also refer to: *Plenary session or meeting, the part of a conference when all members of all parties are in attendance **Plenary speaker, ...

of the National Constituent Assembly approved the '' Legislative Act No. 3'' which modified Article 171 of the

, granting

to all Colombian women. Cabinet of Rojas Pinilla

On 21 September 1955, General Rojas Pinilla appointed Valencia governor of her native

Department of Cauca Cauca Department (, ) is a department of Southwestern Colombia. Located in the southwestern part of the country, facing the Pacific Ocean to the west, the Valle del Cauca Department to the north, Tolima Department to the northeast, Huila De ...

, the first woman to ever exercise an executive position in the country, a post in which she served until September 16, 1956, when she was called to Bogotá to serve as the first female government minister, in the Ministry of National Education. By means of ''Decree No. 1283 of 19 June 1957'', the

Colombian Military Junta The Colombian Military Junta was a Colombian transitional government established between 1957 and 1958, replacing President Gustavo Rojas Pinilla Gustavo Rojas Pinilla (12 March 1900 – 17 January 1975) was a Colombian National Army of Colom ...

that succeeded Rojas Pinilla in the executive, appointed her Permanent Delegate of Colombia to the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, becoming the first Ambassadress of Colombia.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Valencia Munoz, Josefina 1913 births 1991 deaths People from Cauca Department Colombian suffragists Governors of Cauca Department Ministers of national education of Colombia Permanent delegates of Colombia to UNESCO Members of the Senate of Colombia National Popular Alliance politicians Colombian Conservative Party politicians Colombian feminists 20th-century Colombian women politicians 20th-century Colombian politicians Women government ministers of Colombia Colombian women ambassadors Women governors of departments of Colombia Valencia family First women governors

Background

Career

See also

References