Carmen Gana López
Carmen Gana López | |
|---|---|
| First Lady of Chile | |
| In role 19 July 1826 – 9 September 1826 | |
| President | Manuel Blanco Encalada |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1800 |
| Died | 15 April 1880 (aged 79–80) |
| Nationality | Chilean |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 6 |
María del Carmen Gana López (1800 – 15 April 1880) was a Chilean aristocrat and a First Lady of Chile.[1]
Biography
Gana López was the daughter of Agustín Domingo Gana y Darrigrande and María Dolores López y Guerrero Villaseñor. On 29 November 1818 she married Manuel Blanco Encalada, and the couple had six children. Throughout her husband's political career, she was regarded as one of his closest confidants and advisers.[1]
Blanco Encalada acted as interim President of Chile from 9 July 1826 until 9 September 1826, during which period Gana served as First Lady of Chile. Despite the brief duration of her tenure, she supported initiatives in the field of social welfare. On her encouragement, her husband allowed the Congregation of the Good Shepherd, a Catholic religious order, to establish the first orphanage in San Felipe.[2]
During her husband's tenure as minister to France, the family lived in Paris, where their home became a meeting place for visitors from the Americas and Europe. Gana also maintained close relations with a number of Parisian artists and intellectuals.[1]
While in Paris, Gana's daughter Teresa married a wealthy Chilean man. Teresa's godparents at the wedding ceremony were Napoleon III and Eugénie de Montijo. Gana maintained a regular correspondence with the couple even after her return to Santiago.[2][3]
Gana died on 15 April 1880 and is buried in the Cementerio General de Santiago.
References
- ^ a b c "Primeras Damas de Chile" (PDF) (in Spanish). Centro de Estudios Históricos Forenses. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 2018-10-24.
- ^ a b "Vida y obra más uno que otro escándalo de 15 Primeras Damas de Chile". La Nación (in Spanish). 5 April 2013. Archived from the original on 9 October 2014.
- ^ Barros Van Buren, Mario (1970). "La Administración Bulnes" [The Bulnes Administration]. Historia diplomática de Chile (1541-1938) [Diplomatic History of Chile (1541-1938)] (in Spanish) (2 ed.). Santiago, Chile: Editorial Andres Bello. p. 153. ISBN 9561307766. OCLC 912837939.