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First Lady of Colombia

For a complete list of the first ladies, see List of first ladies of Colombia.

First Lady of Colombia
since 7 August 2022
StyleMadam First Lady
AbbreviationFLOCO
ResidenceCasa de Nariño
Inaugural holderSoledad Román de Núñez
Formation1 April 1886
(138 years ago) (1886-04-01)
WebsiteFirst Lady

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 codified or officially defined; according to the Constitutional Court of Colombia, the first lady holds the status of a private citizen before the public administration. However, this gives the first lady an additional special role, as, being the wife of the president, the first lady symbolically embodies, together with the president, the idea of national unity in accordance with article 188 of the Constitution of Colombia. Since 1978, the first lady has been honorary president of the Colombian Institute of Family Welfare, an institution founded by the 22nd president Carlos Lleras Restrepo.[1][2]

Verónica Alcocer is the current first lady of Colombia, as the wife of the 34th and current president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro.

While the title was not in general use until 8 August 1934,[3] Soledad Román de Núñez, the wife of Rafael Núñez, the first president of Colombia (1887-1894), is considered to be the inaugural first lady of Colombia. During her life, she was often called "Lady de Núñez."

Since the 20th century, the role of the first lady has changed considerably. It has come to include participation in political campaigns, management of the Casa de Nariño, advocacy for social causes, and representing the president on official and ceremonial occasions.

Additionally, over the years, individual first ladies have been influential in a variety of sectors, from fashion to public opinion on politics, as well as advocacy for female empowerment. Historically, when a president was unmarried or widowed, he typically asked a family member to act as Casa de Nariño hostess.

Origins of the title

[edit]
Manuela Sáenz, mistress of Bolívar, known as the Liberator of the Liberator.

Upon the unequivocal declaration of independence of the consolidated territory of the former Viceroyalty of the New Granada at the Congress of Cúcuta and the ratification of the Constitution, Congress elected General Simón Bolívar as President of Colombia. Bolívar however, was a widower (his wife María Teresa Rodríguez del Toro y Alaysa died in 1803[4]), had no children, his mother had died,[4] and his sisters resided far away from the capital, leaving no female relations to fulfil any duties that would today be associated with that of the first lady. Bolívar did however, have a lover, Manuela Sáenz,[5][6] a married woman who was the love of his life, and with whom he lived with despite the conservative views of his time. Therefore, Sáenz served as the unofficial hostess[7] of the residence of Bolívar, the San Carlos Palace, as there was no official presidential palace at the time. Nevertheless, the extent of Sáenz's involvement in the Bolívar household was such that when political enemies of Bolívar broke into the house in an attempt to assassinate the president, she was there and dissuaded Bolívar from confronting his attackers and instead flee through window in their chambers, and although she was vilified during her lifetime, she is now considered a national hero.[5][6][8]

Soledad Román de Núñez, wife of the 1st President of Colombia Rafael Núñez.

Upon the resignation of Bolívar to the presidency in 1830, Congress elected Joaquín de Mosquera y Arboleda to succeed Bolívar as the 2nd president of Colombia. Mosquera was married to María Josefa Mosquera y Hurtado, his first cousin,[9] who became the first person to be now considered as the official first lady of Colombia, that is, of what is now known as Gran Colombia. The first first lady of present-day Colombia was Soledad Román de Núñez, the second wife of Rafael Núñez. Núñez first came to power in 1880 as President of what it was then known as the United States of Colombia, but when he moved to the capital, his wife Soledad Román stayed behind in their hometown of Cartagena,[10] as their union was heavily criticized by the conservative society and media of the time for Núñez had legally divorced his first wife, María de los Dolores Gallegos Martínez,[10] and married Román in a civil ceremony,[11] but according to canon law they remained married in the eyes of God, and thus Núñez was accused of adultery and Román regarded as his mistress.[10] Román eventually moved to Bogotá when the popularity of her husband rose to the point that most could overlook their union.[10] When the Colombian Constitution of 1886 was ratified, present day Colombia was formed, with Núñez as the 1st president of Colombia, and Román as the 1st first lady. The couple were eventually able to marry through the Church when Gallegos, Núñez's first wife, died, allowing them to consecrate their already legal union through the Church and in the eyes of the conservative Catholic society.[10] Their wedding took place while Núñez was in office on 23 February 1889.[12]

The use of the title First Lady originated in the United States, first mentioned in reference to Dolley Madison, it was later used in other forms until 1877 when it was used in print media to refer to Lucy Webb Hayes, wife of Rutherford B. Hayes. In Colombia, the title was first used in print media in 1933, when the magazine Cromos used it to refer to the wife of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt as First Lady of the United States,[13] by then the term was broadly used in the United States to refer to the wife of the president. The title was first adopted for Colombian use the following year, when on 8 August 1934 Cromos referred to María Michelsen de López as "First Lady of Colombia" during the inauguration of her husband, President Alfonso López Pumarejo.[13][14]

Non-spouse in the role

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The title can be held officially by a woman not the wife of a president, to date only a woman not the wife of a president has served as first lady, this happens when the president is single or widowed, or when the president's wife cannot fulfill the duties of first lady. In this case, the position has been occupied by a relative of the president, such as María Antonia Suárez, daughter of Marco Fidel Suárez.[15]

Potential male title

[edit]

Each of the 34 presidents of Colombia have been male, and all have either had their wives, or a female hostess, assume the role of first lady. Thus, a male equivalent for the title of first lady has never been necessary. However, in 2002, when Noemí Sanín became the second woman to win a major party's presidential nomination, questions arose about what her boyfriend Javier's title would be if she won the presidency. During the campaign, the title of First Gentleman of Colombia was most frequently suggested for Javier Aguirre. Additionally, male spouses of departments governors are often called the First Gentleman of their respective department (for example, Óscar Placio was the first gentleman of San Andrés, while his wife, Susanie Davis, served as governor). In the end Noemí Sanín lost the elections, however the Constitutional Court establishes that if a woman is elected president, her spouse will be known as "First Gentleman of the Nation", in the same way that this title is formulated for a woman.[16][17][18]

Role

[edit]

The position of the first lady is unofficial, it is not an elected one, carries no official duties, and receives no salary. Nonetheless, first ladies have held a highly visible position in Colombian society. The role of the first lady has evolved over the years, but she is, first and foremost, the spouse of the president.[19][20]

Until 1886, the first lady did not have any type of recognition or influence on Colombian political life. According to article 188 of the Constitution of Colombia established by the Constitutional Court of Colombia, before the public administration the first lady will hold the title of private citizen, although she is given an additional special role, being the wife of the president, along with With this he would symbolically embody the idea of national unity.[21] Until 1979, the first lady held the position of President of the Colombian Institute of Family Welfare,[22] a position that had been held by the president's wife since its foundation in 1968.[23] For its part, Law 7 of 1979 establishes that the first lady will remain linked to the Colombian Institute of Family Welfare,[21] without specific functions in a purely honorary manner.[21]

Since 2010, the first lady has represented the president on foreign trips[24] under the status of ambassador on special mission.[25]

Causes and initiatives

[edit]

Since 1934, many first ladies have become public speakers and championed specific causes, usually those that were not politically divisive. Recent causes of the First Lady are:

References

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  1. ^ "Concepto 015491 de 2020 Departamento Administrativo de la Función Pública, Primera Dama de la Nacíon". funcionpublica.gov.co. 15 January 2020. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  2. ^ "¿Qué hace la primera dama en Colombia? Funciones y responsabilidades del cargo". colombia.as.com. 27 September 2022. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  3. ^ En Colombia, la expresión se habría utilizado por primera vez el 8 de agosto de 1934, para designar a María Michelsen (en ese entonces esposa de Alfonso López Pumarejo) a quien se llamó la Primera Dama de Colombia. banrepcultural.org. 21 July 2017. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  4. ^ a b Bushnell, David; Langley, Lester D, eds. (2008). "Simón Bolívar: A Chronology". Simón Bolívar: Essays on the Life and Legacy of the Liberator. Latin American silhouettes. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield. p. xiii. ISBN 9780742556195. OCLC 180907774. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
  5. ^ a b Berman, Paul (5 April 2013). "Founding Father". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. OCLC 1645522. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
  6. ^ a b Carroll, Rory (1 July 2010). "Simón Bolívar's lover gains heroine status". The Guardian. Caracas. ISSN 0261-3077. OCLC 60623878. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
  7. ^ Triviño Anzola, Consuelo. "Manuela Sáenz, la Libertadora del Libertador" (in Spanish). Madrid: Instituto Cervantes. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
  8. ^ Grant, Will (5 July 2010). "Venezuela honours Simon Bolivar's lover Manuela Saenz". Caracas. BBC News. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
  9. ^ María Alexandra, Méndez Valencia. "Mosquera, Joaquín". Luis Ángel Arango Library. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
  10. ^ a b c d e Delpar, Helen (1981). Red Against Blue: The Liberal Party in Colombian Politics, 1863 – 1899. University of Alabama Press. p. 128. ISBN 9780817356156. OCLC 658157817. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
  11. ^ Henderson, James D; Delpar, Helen; Brungardt, Maurice Philip; et al., eds. (2000). A Reference Guide to Latin American History. Armonk, NY: M. E. Sharpe. p. 507. ISBN 9781563247446. OCLC 41185126. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
  12. ^ Castillo Mathieu, Nicolás del (January 1991). "Rafael Núñez, el Regenerador (1825–1894)". Credencial Historia (13). Bogotá. ISSN 0121-3296. OCLC 39236834. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
  13. ^ a b Osorio Parras, Zenaida (August 1996). "Primeras Damas: Historia de un Concepto". Credencial Historia (in Spanish) (80). Bogotá. ISSN 0121-3296. OCLC 39236834. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  14. ^ "Damas de Primera: María Michelsen Lombana". Fucsia (in Spanish). Bogotá. 25 August 2010. ISSN 0124-857X. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  15. ^ "Las cuatro mujeres del expresidente Marco Fidel Suárez". Semana. 15 July 2018. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  16. ^ "Fórmula amorosa de los candidatos presidenciales". Jet-Set (in Spanish). Bogotá. 2010. ISSN 0123-7918. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
  17. ^ "Familias con rumbo a la Casa de Nariño". El Universal (in Spanish). Cartagena, Bolívar. 30 May 2010. ISSN 0122-6843. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
  18. ^ Cortés Castillo, Carlos. "Noemí, la política diplomática" (in Spanish). Bogotá. La Silla Vacía. Archived from the original on 21 August 2012. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
  19. ^ "¿Cuáles son las funciones de la primera dama en Colombia?". semana.com. 26 September 2022. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  20. ^ "¿Qué funciones cumple la primera dama en Colombia?". bluradio.com. 25 September 2022. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  21. ^ a b c Colombia, Constitutional Court (1993). "Sentencia No. C-537/93" (in Spanish). Bogotá: Colombia, Constitutional Court. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
  22. ^ Colombia, Congress (30 December 1968). "Ley 75 de 1968". Diario Oficial (in Spanish) (32, 682). Bogotá. ISSN 0122-2112. OCLC 500057889. Archived from the original on 9 July 2013. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
  23. ^ Colombia, Congress (24 January 1979). "Ley 7 de 1979". Diario Oficial (in Spanish) (35, 191). Bogotá. ISSN 0122-2112. OCLC 500057889. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
  24. ^ Rodríguez, Jhordan C. (30 September 2022). "Las veces que las primeras damas han sido embajadoras especiales del gobierno". elespectador.com. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  25. ^ Charry, Juan Manuel (10 October 2022). "Primera dama, embajadora en misión especial". ambitojuridico.com. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  26. ^ a b c d e f g Ríos Peñaloza, Gilma (August 1996). "Primeras Damas del Siglo XX". Credencial Historia (in Spanish) (80). Bogotá. ISSN 0121-3296. OCLC 39236834. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  27. ^ a b c d e f g h Garzón, Angélica; Santos Molano, Enrique (3 August 2011). "Crónica: Damas de primera". El Tiempo (in Spanish). Bogotá. ISSN 0121-9987. OCLC 28894254. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  28. ^ Arias, Andrés (7 February 2012). "María Clemencia Rodríguez de Santos: "Quisiera tener una varita mágica para solucionar los problemas de la gente"". revistacredencial.com. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  29. ^ "Así describió la Primera Dama, María Juliana Ruiz, su gestión". rtvcnoticias.com. 5 August 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
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