Ana Mae Díaz
Wife of Guillermo Endara
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ana Mae Diaz de Endara (born May 16, 1967)[1] was the First Lady of Panama from 1990–1994.
(m. 1990–2009)
Ana Mae Diaz | |
|---|---|
| First Lady of Panama | |
| In role June 11, 1990 – September 1, 1994 | |
| Preceded by | Mariela de Delvalle |
| Succeeded by | Dora Boyd de Perez Balladares |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 16, 1967 |
| Spouse(s) | Guillermo Endara (m. 1990–2009) |
Relationship with Endara
A Panamanian of Chinese origin,[2] Diaz met future president Guillermo Endara in September 1989, while he was on hunger strike to protest the autocratic military rule of Manuel Noriega.[3] Diaz was a law student at the time.[4] The former First Lady-designate, Marcela Endara, Guillermo's wife of 28 years, had died in June of a heart attack while Endara was hospitalized due to a beating by Noriega's forces.[2] International observers had reported Endara to be the clear leader in the May presidential election,[5] and — although he had earlier showed discomfort with US patronage — during the US invasion of Panama in December, he was sworn in as president from the safety of a US military base in the Canal Zone.[6]
Panamanian newspapers began to publish photographs of Diaz and Endara together in January 1990, and Endara told press the pair were "going out".[3]
First Lady of Panama
The pair married on June 11, 1990, within 9 months of having first met, in a wedding attended by the ambassadors of various nations.[7] Endara was reportedly so happy in the marriage that he would even be described as allegedly leaving cabinet meetings for a "quick cuddle".
Due in part to the couple's difference in ages and weights—Endara was in his mid-fifties, already a grandfather, and — despite his hunger strike — known for his weight; Ana Mae Díaz was 23—the marriage received widespread coverage and mockery in the Panamanian press, including a new nickname for Endara, El Gordo Feliz ("Happy Fatty").[8][9]
In 1991, Diaz slapped a journalist for asking about her criticisms of El Salvadoran president Alfredo Christiani and Panamanian justice minister Arias Calderón.[10] A year later, she won $125,000 in the national lottery and indicated that she intended to keep the money rather than donating it; the incident was cited as an example of the Endara's administration's lack of concern for the poor.[11] In 1994, she was accused of reselling food that had been donated by Italy on the streets of Panama City, one of a number of financial scandals to strike the administration.[12]
Later life
Endara ran for president again in 2004 and in 2009, placing second and a distant third, respectively.[13][14] On September 28, 2009, he died at age 73 at his home in Panama City, of a heart attack.[8]