| Post: | First Lady of Cuba |
| Flag: | Escudo de Cuba.gif |
| Flagsize: | 100px |
| Style: | Her Excellency |
| Incumbent: | Lis Cuesta Peraza |
| Incumbentsince: | April 19, 2018 |
| Inaugural: | Genoveva Guardiola Arbizú |
| Residence: | Palace of the Revolution |
| Termlength: | 5 years |
| Website: | www.twitter.com/LisCuestaCuba |
First Lady of Cuba (Spanish; Castilian: Primera Dama de Cuba) is de facto title of the wife of the President of the Republic of Cuba.[1] The current first lady of Cuba is Lis Cuesta Peraza, the second wife of President Miguel Díaz-Canel, who is also the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba, the most senior position in the Cuban government. She is the first presidential wife to be referred to as "first lady" by Cuban state media since the 1960s.
The term "First Lady of Cuba" was first used as far back as 1913 to refer to the wife of the Cuban president. The role of first lady is purely ceremonial, and the first ladies since the Cuban Revolution hold little official influence on the politics of Cuba. Although the wife of the president of Cuba is referred to unofficially as the "first lady", it is used in state ceremonies, protocol events, and international tours. However, no official government position currently exists, particularly since the Cuban Revolution, when the term was largely eliminated by the Castro brothers.[2]
The position was regarded as a "remnant of capitalism" and fell into disuse during the rule of Fidel Castro.[1] Castro and his first wife, Mirta Díaz-Balart, had divorced before the 1959 Cuban Revolution, which contributed to the decline of the role as well, according to Cuban writer, Wendy Guerra.[1] However, Vilma Espín, Castro's sister-in-law and wife of Raúl Castro, took on the role of "Cuba's low-key first lady" for 45-years, even after Fidel Castro reportedly married Dalia Soto de Valle in 1980. Dalia Soto de Valle was not seen publicly until Pope John Paul II's visit to Cuba in January 1998.
In recent years, the concept of a national first lady has been revived under President Miguel Díaz-Canel and his wife, Lis Cuesta.In 2018, Cuesta became the first woman to be publicly referred to as "first lady" by some of Cuba's state-controlled broadcasters and other media outlets since the 1960s, while other state-run newspapers initially ignored her new role.[2] [3] Lis Cuesta Peraza was previously the Second Lady of the Republic of Cuba from the February 24, 2013, to April 19, 2018, during her husband's term as First Vice President of Cuba. As Second Lady of Cuba, she accompanied her husband on state tours to Angola, Laos, Vietnam, Chile, Russia, among others.
The current Second Lady of the Republic of Cuba is Julia Piloto Saborit (since April 2018), the wife of the current Vice President of Cuba, Salvador Valdes Mesa.
| Portrait | First Lady of Cuba | Term Began | Term Ended | President of Cuba | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genoveva Guardiola Arbizú | May 20, 1902 | September 28, 1906 | Tomás Estrada Palma | Born in Honduras, Veva Guardiola was the inaugural First Lady of Cuba. | |
| América Arias | January 28, 1909 | May 20, 1913 | José Miguel Gómez | ||
| Mariana Seva de Menocal | May 20, 1913 | May 20, 1921 | Mario García Menocal | ||
| María de la Asunción Jaén y Planas | May 20, 1921 | May 20, 1925 | Alfredo Zayas y Alfonso | ||
| Elvira Machado Nodal | May 20, 1925 | August 12, 1933 | Gerardo Machado | Elvira Machado was Machado's cousin. | |
| August 13, 1933 | September 5, 1933 | Carlos Manuel de Céspedes y Quesada | Bertini, who married Carlos Manuel de Céspedes in 1915, was Italian. Mother of writer Alba de Céspedes. | ||
| Polita Grau | September 10, 1933 | January 15, 1934 | Ramón Grau | Grau, who was unmarried, appointed his niece, Polita Grau, as first lady during his first presidency. | |
| Elisa Edelmann Ponce | January 15, 1934 | January 18, 1934 | Carlos Hevia | ||
| Mercedes Márquez Sterling | January 18, 1934 | January 18, 1934 | Manuel Márquez Sterling | ||
| Carmela Ledón | January 18, 1934 | December 11, 1935 | Carlos Mendieta | ||
| Marcela Cleard | December 11, 1935 | May 20, 1936 | José Agripino Barnet | ||
| Serafina Diago Cárdenas | May 20, 1936 | December 24, 1936 | Miguel Mariano Gómez | Serafina Diago Cárdenas was married to President Miguel Mariano Gómez, the son of former first lady, América Arias. | |
| Leonor Gómez Montes | December 24, 1936 | October 10, 1940 | Federico Laredo Brú | ||
| Elisa Godínez Gómez de Batista | October 10, 1940 | October 10, 1944 | Fulgencio Batista | Elisa Godinez Gomez was Batista's first wife and first lady from 1940 to 1944. Batista divorced her in 1945 after leaving office and soon married his mistress, Marta Fernandez Miranda de Batista. | |
| Paulina Alsina Fernández | October 10, 1944 | October 10, 1948 | Ramón Grau | President Grau never married. He appointed his sister-in-law, Paulina Alsina Fernández, as first lady during his second presidency. | |
| Mary Tarrero-Serrano | October 10, 1948 | March 10, 1952 | Carlos Prío Socarrás | Tarrero was also a stenographer in the national Senate. Prio was overthrown by Batista in the 1952 Cuban coup d'état. | |
| Marta Fernandez Miranda de Batista | March 10, 1952 | January 1, 1959 | Fulgencio Batista | Batista's second wife and first lady during his dictatorship. Both went into permanent exile following his ouster during the Cuban Revolution in 1959. | |
| Ana Durán | January 1, 1959 | January 2, 1959 | Anselmo Alliegro y Milá | Interim presidency | |
| María Luisa Martínez Díaz | January 2, 1959 | January 3, 1959 | Carlos Manuel Piedra | Interim presidency | |
| Portrait | First Lady of Cuba | Term Began | Term Ended | President of Cuba | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ? | January 3, 1959 | July 18, 1959 | Manuel Urrutia Lleó | Interim president following the ouster of Batista. No first lady appeared in public during his brief presidency. | |
| María de la Caridad Molina | July 18, 1959 | December 2, 1976 | Osvaldo Dorticós Torrado | Though married, President Osvaldo Dorticós did not introduce his wife, María de la Caridad Molina, as first lady (or any other public position) during his presidency. | |
| Vilma Espín (acting) | December 2, 1976 | February 24, 2008 | Fidel Castro | The concept of a public "First Lady" fell into disuse following the Cuban Revolution under President Fidel Castro. Little was known about Castro's private life during his rule and he was divorced when he officially became president in 1976, which contributed to the position's decline. However, Vilma Espín, wife of Raúl Castro, took on the role of "Cuba's low-key first lady" for 45-years, even after Fidel Castro reportedly married Dália Soto del Valle in 1980.[4] Espín was also a Secretary of State and had established the Federation of Cuban Women in 1960. Celia Sánchez, another Cuban revolutionary and close confidante of Castro, also served as a Secretary of State and fulfilled some of the roles traditionally attributed to a first lady as well. | |
| Vilma Espín | July 31, 2006 | June 18, 2007 | Raúl Castro | Vilma Espín died in Havana on June 18, 2007, during her husband's acting presidency. | |
| Position vacant | June 18, 2007 | April 19, 2018 | Raúl Castro | Vilma Espín had died in Havana on June 18, 2007. Mariela Castro Espín, daughter of Vilma Espín and Raúl Castro, assumed a protocol role for her father at times during his presidency. | |
| Lis Cuesta Peraza | April 19, 2018 | Present | Miguel Díaz-Canel | The concept and role of a first lady began to revive under Díaz-Canel and Cuesta. In 2018, Cuesta, a tourism executive, became the first woman to be called "first lady" by some Cuban state-run media outlets since the 1960s. | |