# First Lady of Colombia

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.
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, 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

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), had no children, his mother had died, 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, 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 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.
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, 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, 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, and married Román in a civil ceremony, 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. Román eventually moved to Bogotá when the popularity of her husband rose to the point that most could overlook their union. 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. Their wedding took place while Núñez was in office on 23 February 1889.
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, 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.

### Non-spouse in the role

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.

### Potential male title

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.

## Role

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.
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. Until 1979, the first lady held the position of President of the Colombian Institute of Family Welfare, a position that had been held by the president's wife since its foundation in 1968. For its part, Law 7 of 1979 establishes that the first lady will remain linked to the Colombian Institute of Family Welfare, without specific functions in a purely honorary manner.
Since 2010, the first lady has represented the president on foreign trips under the status of ambassador on special mission.

## Causes and initiatives

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:
* María Teresa Londoño: Led the collection for donations during the Colombian-Peruvian war.
* María Michelsen de López: Championed orphans' rights and care.
* Lorenza Villegas de Santos: Pioneered public for health care services.
* Bertha Hernández Fernández: Was a leader of the women's suffrage movement.
* Cecilia de la Fuente de Lleras: Campaigned for the creation of the Colombian Institute of Family Welfare.
* Cecilia Caballero Blanco: Campaigned for legislation that ended the legal discrimination based on the legitimacy of children and their parentage.
* Nydia Quintero Turbay: Focused on disaster relief and assistance.
* Nohra Puyana de Pastrana: Led the humanitarian commission during the Armenian earthquake.
* Ana Milena Muñoz de Gaviria promoted higher education and culture.
* Lina Moreno de Uribe: Led national pregnancy prevention programs in adolescents and promoted sexual and reproductive health rights for women.
* María Clemencia de Santos: Dedicated himself to making humanitarian trips throughout the country, being his main cause.
* María Juliana Ruiz: Its main cause was the fight against child malnutrition in Colombia.