Rosa Gómez De Mejía
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Rosa Altagracia Eulogia Gómez Arias (11 March 1940 – 21 March 2022) was a Dominican socialite who was the
First Lady of the Dominican Republic First Lady of the Dominican Republic () is the title referring to the wife, or designee, of the president of the Dominican Republic. The official government Office of the First Lady was created by Decree 741-00 on September 10, 2000. The positio ...
from 2000 until 2004 and the wife of
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: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...
Hipólito Mejía Rafael Hipólito Mejía Domínguez (born 22 February 1941) is a Dominican politician who served as President of the Dominican Republic from 2000 to 2004. During his presidential term in office the country was affected by one of its worst econ ...
. Gómez was the first woman to head the official government Office of the First Lady, which was created by Decree 741-00 on 10 September 2000, less than a month after she assumed the position. She focused on education, social initiatives, and cultural issues during her four year tenure.


Biography

Rosa Gómez Arias was born in Gurabo, Santiago Province. She studied education at the
Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo The Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo (UASD) () is a public university system in Dominican Republic, with its flagship campus in Ciudad Universitaria (lit. University City) neighborhood of Santo Domingo and regional campuses in many citi ...
. Gómez married
Hipólito Mejía Rafael Hipólito Mejía Domínguez (born 22 February 1941) is a Dominican politician who served as President of the Dominican Republic from 2000 to 2004. During his presidential term in office the country was affected by one of its worst econ ...
on 4 July 1964. The couple had four children: Ramón, Felipe, Carolina, and Lissa. Their daughter
Carolina Mejía de Garrigó Carolina may refer to: Geography * The Carolinas, the U.S. states of North and South Carolina ** North Carolina, a U.S. state ** South Carolina, a U.S. state * Province of Carolina, a British province until 1712 * Carolina, Alabama, a town in t ...
was a candidate for
vice president of the Dominican Republic The vice president of the Dominican Republic () is the second-highest political position in the Dominican Republic. The vice president is the first person in the presidential line of succession, ascending to the presidency upon the death, resign ...
in 2016 and became mayor of the
Distrito Nacional The Distrito Nacional (; D.N.) is a subdivision of the Dominican Republic enclosing the capital Santo Domingo. It is not in any of the provinces, but in practice, it acts as a province on its own. Before October 16, 2001, the Distrito Nacional wa ...
(
Santo Domingo Santo Domingo, formerly known as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city of the Dominican Republic and the List of metropolitan areas in the Caribbean, largest metropolitan area in the Caribbean by population. the Distrito Na ...
) in 2020. Gómez de Mejía became
First Lady of the Dominican Republic First Lady of the Dominican Republic () is the title referring to the wife, or designee, of the president of the Dominican Republic. The official government Office of the First Lady was created by Decree 741-00 on September 10, 2000. The positio ...
on 16 August 2000, with the inauguration of her husband,
Hipólito Mejía Rafael Hipólito Mejía Domínguez (born 22 February 1941) is a Dominican politician who served as President of the Dominican Republic from 2000 to 2004. During his presidential term in office the country was affected by one of its worst econ ...
. Gómez was the country's first new First Lady since Asela Mera de Jorge left the office in 1986. From 1986 until 2000, the Presidents of the Dominican Republic were either unmarried (
Joaquín Balaguer Joaquín Antonio Balaguer Ricardo (1 September 1906 – 14 July 2002) was a Dominican politician, scholar, writer, and lawyer who was the 41st, 45th and 49th president of the Dominican Republic serving three non-consecutive terms from 1960 t ...
) or divorced at the time (
Leonel Fernández Leonel Antonio Fernández Reyna () (born 26 December 1953) is a Dominican lawyer, academic, and was the 50th and 52nd President of the Dominican Republic from 1996 to 2000 and from 2004 to 2012. From 2016 until 2020, he was the President of th ...
). The official, government Office of the First Lady was created by Decree 741 of 10 September 2000. Rosa Gómez de Mejía became the first First Lady to head and coordinate the new government office from September 2000 until she left the position in 2004. As first lady, Gómez helped to conceive and establish El Museo Infantil Trampolín (''The Trampoline Children's Museum''), a
children's museum Children's museums are institutions that provide exhibits and programs to stimulate informal learning experiences for children. In contrast with traditional museums that typically have a hands-off policy regarding exhibits, children's museums fea ...
and
nonprofit A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...
focused on introducing Dominican children to new educational and cultural experiences. The museum, which opened on 30 April 2004, is housed in the Casa de Bastidas, the 15th century home of
Rodrigo de Bastidas Rodrigo de Bastidas (; Triana, Seville, Andalusia, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, 28 July 1527) was a Spanish conquistador and explorer who mapped the northern coast of South America, discovered Panama, and founded the city of Santa Marta. Personal li ...
, in
Santo Domingo Santo Domingo, formerly known as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city of the Dominican Republic and the List of metropolitan areas in the Caribbean, largest metropolitan area in the Caribbean by population. the Distrito Na ...
's
Ciudad Colonial Ciudad Colonial (; ) is the historic central neighborhood of the Dominican Republic's capital Santo Domingo. It is the oldest continuously inhabited European-established settlement in the Americas. The area has been declared a World Heritage Sit ...
neighborhood. The museum's exhibition rooms include science rooms and an open-air theater. Approximately 90,000 children visit the institution annually. Rosa Gómez de Mejía died on 21 March 2022, ten days after her 82nd birthday. She suffered a heart attack prior to her death.


Honors

*Spanish Dame Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic in 2000


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gomez de Mejia, Rosa 1940 births 2022 deaths First ladies of the Dominican Republic Dominican Revolutionary Party politicians Modern Revolutionary Party politicians Dames Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo alumni People from Santiago Province (Dominican Republic)