List of first ladies of Colombia
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The first lady of Colombia is the hostess of the Casa de Nariño. The position is traditionally filled by the wife of the president of Colombia, but there is a possibility that the title may be applied to women who are not the president's wife, such as when the president is single or widowed, or when the president's wife cannot fulfill the duties of first lady. The first lady is not an elected position; He does not perform official duties nor receive a salary. However, he attends many official ceremonies and state functions alongside or instead of the president. Traditionally, the first lady does not hold outside employment while in office, during her time in the role.The First Lady of the Nation also usually carries with honors the board of trustees of the Colombian Institute of Family Welfare, a child protection institute, founded in 1968 by the 22nd president Carlos Lleras Restrepo, the main promoter being his wife, the first lady Cecilia de la Fuente de Lleras.[1][2] that is, there has never been a female president in this country.[3]
There have been a total of 35 first ladies, including 34 official and 1 acting, within 34 first ladies. Following Gustavo Petro's inauguration on August 7, 2022, his wife, Verónica Alcocer, became the 35th official first lady.[4][5]
There are six living former First Ladies: Ana Milena Muñoz de Gaviria, married to César Gaviria; Jacquin Strouss de Samper, married to Ernesto Samper; Nohra Puyana de Pastrana, married to Andrés Pastrana; Lina Moreno de Uribe married to Álvaro Uribe; María Clemencia de Santos, married to Juan Manuel Santos and María Juliana Ruiz, married to Iván Duque. The First Lady who died most recently was Nydia Quintero Turbay, former wife of Julio César Turbay Ayala. The first First Lady was Soledad Román de Núñez, married to Rafael Núñez. President Miguel Abadía Méndez is the only one who married while being elected president. The wife of only one president died before her husband took office, María Antonia Suárez being the daughter of President Marco Fidel Suárez, the only first lady not to be a wife.
Listed below are all the First ladies of Colombia since its creation in 1886, 37 of them were married to the current president, one of them acting, and only one has died in office.
| PRECO No. |
Portrait | Name | Tenure | Age at tenure start | President (Husband, unless noted) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
Soledad Román de Núñez October 6, 1835 – June 19, 1924 (aged 89) [6][7] |
June 4, 1887 − August 7, 1888 |
51 years, 241 days | Rafael Núñez m. July 14, 1877 |
| 2 | Margarita Caro de Holguín June 10, 1848 – April 26, 1925 (aged 76) |
August 7, 1888 − August 7, 1892 |
40 years, 58 days | Carlos Holguín Mallarino m. June 29, 1878 | |
| 3 | |
Soledad Román de Núñez October 6, 1835 – June 19, 1924 (aged 89) |
August 7, 1892 − September 18, 1894 |
56 years, 306 days | Rafael Núñez m. July 14, 1877 |
| 4 | Ana de Narváez de Caro March 8, 1847 – March 23, 1909 (aged 62) [8][9] |
September 18, 1894 − August 7, 1898 |
47 years, 194 days | Miguel Antonio Caro m. February 15, 1873 | |
| 5 | Nazaria Domínguez de Sanclemente April 12, 1823 – November 12, 1882 (aged 59) |
August 7, 1898 − July 31, 1900 |
75 years, 117 days | Manuel Antonio Sanclemente m. April 10, 1870 | |
| 6 | Matilde Osorio de Marroquín April 10, 1831 – March 20, 1884 (aged 52) |
July 31, 1900 − August 7, 1904 |
69 years, 103 days | José Manuel Marroquín m. January 7, 1853 | |
| 7 | Sofía Angulo de Reyes June 2, 1823 – October 11, 1898 (aged 75) [10] |
August 7, 1904 − July 27, 1909 |
81 years, 66 days | Rafael Reyes m. November 28, 1877 | |
| 8 | Antonia Ferrero de González November 1, 1865 – March 2, 1944 (aged 78) [11] |
August 7, 1909 − August 7, 1910 |
43 years, 279 days | Ramón González Valencia m. July 27, 1885 | |
| 9 | Isabel Gaviria de Restrepo | August 7, 1910 − August 7, 1914 |
Carlos Eugenio Restrepo m. April 16, 1890[12] | ||
| 10 | Elvira Cárdenas de Concha April 12, 1870 – June 22, 1935 (aged 65) |
August 7, 1914 − August 7, 1918 |
44 years, 117 days | José Vicente Concha | |
| 11 | María Antonia Suárez June 5, 1897 – August 5, 1950 (aged 55) |
August 7, 1918 − March 3, 1919 |
21 years, 63 days | Marco Fidel Suárez Father [A] | |
| Vacant | March 3, 1919 – November 11, 1921 |
Vacant | |||
| 12 |  |
Cecilia Arboleda de Holguín January 21, 1859 – February 3, 1924 (aged 65) |
November 11, 1921 − August 7, 1922 |
62 years, 263 days | Jorge Holguín m. August 9, 1877 |
| 13 | Carolina Vásquez de Ospina December 4, 1896 – May 12, 1955 (aged 85) [13][14] |
August 7, 1922 − August 7, 1926 |
25 years, 246 days | Pedro Nel Ospina | |
| 14 | Leonor de Velasco Álvarez July 30, 1907 – January 14, 1975 (aged 67) |
August 7, 1926 − August 7, 1930 |
19 years, 8 days | Miguel Abadía Méndez m. June 5, 1926[15] | |
| 15 | María Teresa Londoño May 20, 1882 – May 5, 1962 (aged 79) [16][17] |
August 7, 1930 − August 7, 1934 |
48 years, 79 days | Enrique Olaya Herrera m. December 2, 1911 | |
| 16 | María Michelsen de López February 17, 1890 – January 22, 1949 (aged 58) [18][19] |
August 7, 1934 – August 7, 1938 |
44 years, 171 days | Alfonso López Pumarejo m. May 26, 1919 | |
| 17 |  |
Lorenza Villegas de Santos October 5, 1899 – March 25, 1960 (aged 60) [20][21] |
August 7, 1938 – August 7, 1942 |
38 years, 306 days | Eduardo Santos Montejo m. January 6, 1917 |
| 18 | María Michelsen de López February 17, 1890 – January 22, 1949 (aged 58) [22][23] |
August 7, 1942 – August 7, 1945 |
52 years, 171 days | Alfonso López Pumarejo m. May 26, 1919 | |
| 19 | Bertha Puga de Lleras Birth country:  ChileMarch 13, 1909 – August 9, 2007 (aged 98) [24][25] |
August 7, 1945 – August 7, 1946 |
36 years, 147 days | Alberto Lleras Camargo m. March 10, 1931 | |
| 20 | Bertha Hernández de Ospina April 17, 1907 – September 11, 1993 (aged 86) [26][27] |
August 7, 1946 – August 7, 1950 |
63 years, 94 days | Mariano Ospina Pérez m. January 10, 1920 | |
| 21 | María Hurtado de Gómez June 18, 1886 – January 13, 1971 (aged 84) [28] |
August 7, 1950 – June 13, 1953 |
64 years, 50 days | Laureano Gómez m. September 9, 1916 | |
| 22 | Carolina Correa Londoño January 25, 1905 – July 15, 1986 (aged 81) [29][30] |
June 13, 1953 – May 10, 1957 |
48 years, 108 days | Gustavo Rojas Pinilla m. May 10, 1930 | |
| 23 | Bertha Puga de Lleras Birth country: ChileMarch 13, 1909 – August 9, 2007 (aged 98) [31][32] |
August 7, 1958 – August 7, 1962 |
49 years, 147 days | Alberto Lleras Camargo m. March 10, 1931 | |
| 24 | Susana López de Valencia September 17, 1910 – May 19, 1964 (aged 53) [33][34] |
August 7, 1962 – May 19, 1964 † |
51 years, 324 days | Guillermo León Valencia m. August 9, 1931 | |
| Vacant | May 19, 1964 – August 7, 1966 |
Vacant | |||
| 25 | Cecilia de la Fuente de Lleras Birth country:  SpainOctober 7, 1916 – March 2, 2004 (aged 87) [35][36] |
August 7, 1966 – August 7, 1970 |
49 years, 304 days | Carlos Lleras Restrepo m. July 14, 1933 | |
| 26 |  |
María Cristina Arango October 15, 1928 – September 15, 2017 (aged 88) [37][38] |
August 7, 1970 – August 7, 1974 |
41 years, 296 days | Misael Pastrana Borrero m. February 20, 1951 |
| 27 | Cecilia Caballero Blanco September 30, 1913 – August 13, 2019 (aged 105) [39][40] |
August 7, 1974 – August 7, 1978 |
60 years, 311 days | Alfonso López Michelsen m. April 14, 1938 | |
| 28 | Nydia Quintero Turbay August 28, 1932 – June 30, 2025 (aged 92) [41][42] |
August 7, 1978 – August 7, 1982 |
45 years, 344 days | Julio César Turbay Ayala m. September 10, 1948 | |
| 29 | Rosa Álvarez de Betancur November 15, 1924 – June 4, 1998 (aged 73) [43][44] |
August 7, 1982 – August 7, 1986 |
57 years, 265 days | Belisario Betancur m. January 21, 1946 | |
| 30 | Carolina Isakson de Barco Birth country:  United StatesJanuary 6, 1930 – January 24, 2012 (aged 82) [45][46] |
August 7, 1986 – August 7, 1990 |
56 years, 213 days | Virgilio Barco m. July 1, 1950 | |
| 31 | Ana Milena Muñoz de Gaviria Born January 29, 1956 [47][48] |
August 7, 1990 – August 7, 1994 |
34 years, 192 days | César Gaviria m. June 20, 1978 | |
| 32 | Jacquin Strouss de Samper Born February 22, 1952 [49][50] |
August 7, 1994 – August 7, 1998 |
42 years, 166 days | Ernesto Samper m. June 16, 1979 | |
| 33 | Nohra Puyana de Pastrana Born May 26, 1955 [51][52] |
August 7, 1998 – August 7, 2002 |
43 years, 73 days | Andrés Pastrana m. March 20, 1981 | |
| 34 | Lina Moreno de Uribe Born December 4, 1955 [53][54] |
August 7, 2002 – August 7, 2010 |
46 years, 246 days | Álvaro Uribe m. December 1, 1979 | |
| 35 |  |
María Clemencia de Santos Born November 13, 1955 [55][56] |
August 7, 2010 – August 7, 2018 |
54 years, 267 days | Juan Manuel Santos m. September 10, 1987 |
| 36 |  |
María Juliana Ruiz Born May 25, 1978 [57][58] |
August 7, 2018 – August 7, 2022 |
40 years, 74 days | Iván Duque m. February 15, 2003 |
| 37 | Verónica Alcocer Born May 26, 1976 [59][60] |
August 7, 2022 – present |
46 years, 73 days | Gustavo Petro m. July 14, 2000 | |
Other spouses of presidents of Colombia
Certain spouses of presidents of the Colombia are not considered first ladies of Colombia.
Three presidents were divorced and remarried prior to their presidencies:
- Rafael Núñez was married to Dolores Gallegos from 1851 to 1872.[61] He was later married to Soledad Román Polanco from 1877 until his death in 1894.[62]
- Juan Manuel Santos was married to Silvia Amaya from approximately 1970 to 1972.[63]
- Gustavo Petro was married to Katia Burgos from 1986 to 1990 and to Mary Luz Herrán from 1992 to 2000. He was later married to Verónica Alcocer since 2000.[64][65]
Three presidents remarried after their presidencies:
- Alfonso López Pumarejo was married to Olga Dávila Alzamora from 1953 until his death in 1959.
- Julio César Turbay Ayala was married to Amparo Canal from 1986 until his death in 2005.
- Belisario Betancur was married to Dalita Navarro from 2000 until his death in 2018.[66]
