Carmen Romero Rubio
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Carmen Romero Rubio | |
|---|---|
 | |
| First Lady of Mexico | |
| In role 1 December 1884 – 25 May 1911 | |
| President | Porfirio Díaz |
| Preceded by | Laura Mantecón Arteaga |
| Succeeded by | Refugio Borneque |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 20 January 1864 Tula, Tamaulipas, Mexico |
| Died | 25 June 1944 (aged 80) Mexico City, D.F., Mexico |
| Spouse | |
| Parent(s) | Manuel Romero Rubio Agustina Castelló Rivas |
Fabiana Sebastiana María Carmen Romero Rubio y Castelló (20 January 1864 – 25 June 1944), was the second wife of Porfirio Díaz, President of Mexico.
Carmen Romero Rubio was born on January 20, 1864 in Tula, Tamaulipas to a wealthy family. Her parents were prominent liberal politician and lawyer Manuel Romero Rubio, and Agustina Castelló. Her godfather was Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada. She had two sisters, María Luisa (Luisa) and Sofia (Chofa).[1] Known as "Carmelita," she celebrated her saint's day on the feast of the Virgin of Mt. Carmel, on 16 July. Her friends and family members organized festivals in her honor in Carmelite convents during her lifetime.
Marriage
Carmen's father, Manuel Romero Rubio, was active in Mexican politics since 1854 with his participation in the Plan of Ayutla [2] to his death in 1895, when he was the Secretary of the Interior of Porfirio Díaz.[3] He was also a prominent figure of the governments of Benito Juárez and Lerdo de Tejada, and participated in the formulation of the Constitution of 1857, which separated the functions of the Catholic Church and the State.[2][3][4]
Since 1870, the house of the Romero Rubio family became one of the most important political centers of Mexico.[3]
The Rubios were acquaintances, and frequent guests, of the American ambassador, John W. Foster. It was during a reception at the American embassy that General Porfirio Díaz met Carmen Romero Rubio. She agreed to teach him English, and a closer relationship evolved. On November 5, 1881, don Porfirio married Carmen Romero Rubio in a civil ceremony, with the President of Mexico Manuel González serving as witness, according to the new secular Reform Laws. The next day, the religious ceremony took place. The couple received the blessing of Archbishop Antonio de Labastida y Dávalos. They honeymooned in the United States, traveling across the country, using the opportunity to establish important contacts with American politicians and businessmen whom Díaz hoped would invest in Mexico.[citation needed]
This marriage derived from the consolidation of a political alliance between various liberal factions that still did not accept the Porfiriato and Porfirio Díaz, through the intermediation of Manuel Romero Rubio - Carmelita's father -, who had excellent relationships with various political circles and a great capacity for negotiation and conciliation.[2][3]
On the other hand, the apocryphal memoirs of Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada stress the importance of her mother—and not Carmen—in aiding Díaz's relations with the Church.
