María Michelsen de López (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Michelsen Lombana; February 17, 1890 - January 22, 1949) was a Colombian scientist and philanthropist who served as

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 ...

from 1934 to 1938 and again from 1942 to 1945 as the wife of President

Alfonso López Pumarejo Alfonso López Pumarejo (31 January 1886 – 20 November 1959) was a Colombian political figure, who twice served as President of Colombia, as a member of the Colombian Liberal Party. He served as President of Colombia from 1934 to 1938 and aga ...

. Maria is the first and only person to serve in this role for two non-consecutive terms. Michelsen de López was the first First Lady to have a university degree. She also stood out for being the first person to be called First Lady. Defender of the rights of

orphans An orphan is a child whose parents have died, are unknown, or have permanently abandoned them. It can also refer to a child who has lost only one parent, as the Hebrew translation, for example, is "fatherless". In some languages, such as Swedis ...

, she was the co-founder of several shelters in Bogotá.

Early life

Maria Michelsen Lombana was born into a prestigious family of merchants and bankers. She was the daughter of scientist Carlos María Michelsen Uribe and his wife, Antonia Lombana Buendía y Barreneche. Her father was the son of a Danish Jewish immigrant, Karl Michelsen Koppel, who, in turn, was related to the German industrialists Kopp Koppel, founders of the Bavaria brewery. Michelsen was the first Danish consul in Colombia following his commercial success in his native country.

First Lady of Colombia (1934-1938 & 1942-1945)

María Michelsen de López's husband,

, was elected president of Colombia in 1934, to succeed fellow liberal

Enrique Olaya Herrera Enrique Alfredo Olaya Herrera (12 November 1880 – 18 February 1937) was a Colombian journalist and politician. He served as President of Colombia from 7 August 1930 until 7 August 1934 representing the Colombian Liberal Party. Early years ...

. María was the first woman to carry the title of first lady of the nation in Colombia, despite the fact that the figure already existed (tacitly) since the time of the republic with Simón Bolívar. From that moment on, the wife of the president of the day began to gain greater social importance. María Michelsen de López co-founded, with Clemencia Holguín de Urdaneta, Tulia Umaña de Vargas, Jorge Bejarano, Emilio de Brigard Ortiz, Manuel Casabianca, José Antonio León Rey, Jorge Obando, and Manuel Antonio Suárez Hoyos, shelter for

Abandoned Children Abandon, abandoned, or abandonment may refer to: Common uses * Abandonment (emotional), a subjective emotional state in which people feel undesired, left behind, insecure, or discarded * Abandonment (legal), a legal term regarding property ** Chi ...

, which was inaugurated on November 22, 1934.

References

External links

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:López, María Michelsen de 1890 births 1949 deaths 20th-century Colombian women 20th-century Colombian people First ladies of Colombia Michelsen family López family Colombian people of Danish descent Women chemists