Josefina Herrán Explained

Josefina Herrán
Office:First Lady of Uruguay
Term Start:1 March 1972
Term End:12 June 1976
Predecessor:María Angélica Klein
Successor:Sofía Álvarez Vignoli
President:Juan María Bordaberry
(de facto from 1973)
Birth Name:María Josefina Herrán Puig
Birth Date:26 April 1930
Birth Place:Montevideo, Uruguay
Death Place:Montevideo, Uruguay
Party:Colorado Party
Occupation:Politician
Spouse:Juan María Bordaberry (died 2011)
Children:María
Juan
Martín
Pedro
Santiago
Pablo
Javier
Andrés
Ana
Relations:Bordaberry family

María Josefina Herrán Puig (26 April 1930 – 7 July 2024) was the First Lady of Uruguay from 1972 until 1976. She was the wife of Juan María Bordaberry, the constitutionally elected president from 1972 to 1973 and de facto presidential dictator from 1973 to 1976 as the head of the Civic-military dictatorship of Uruguay. Herrán, who was nicknamed "China", was the country's oldest living former first lady at the time of her death on 7 July 2024, at the age of 94.[1] [2]

Biography

Herrán and her late husband, Bordaberry, had nine children, including Pedro Bordaberry, a former Senator from 2015 to 2020 and Minister of Tourism from 2003 to 2005 in the cabinet of Jorge Batlle.[1]

In 1973, as the country's first lady, Herrán founded the Social Coordination Volunteer Corps (VCS), a non-profit which continues to develop programs for patients in hospitals, as well as in the community. VCS is made up of approximately 150 volunteers. Herrán served as the organization's president.

Herrán's husband, Juan María Bordaberry, was sentenced to 30 years in prison for violations of the constitution and human rights abuses. He died under house arrest in July 2011[1] and Herrán survived him for almost 13 years until her own death.

Notes and References

  1. News: Phil . Gunson . Juan María Bordaberry obituary . . 19 July 2011 . 1 July 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210220062827/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/jul/19/juan-maria-bordaberry-obituary . 20 February 2021 . live.
  2. News: Falleció María Josefina Herrán Puig (in Spanish). Cadena del Mar FM . 7 July 2024 . 8 July 2024.