Rosa Gómez de Mejía

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Rosa Gómez de Mejía
First Lady of the Dominican Republic
In office
August 16, 2000 – August 16, 2004
PresidentHipólito Mejía
Preceded byAsela Mera de Jorge (1986)
Vacant (1986–2000)
Succeeded byMargarita Cedeño de Fernández
Personal details
Born
Rosa Altagracia Eulogia Gómez Arias

(1940-03-11) March 11, 1940 (age 81)
Gurabo, Santiago Province, Dominican Republic
Spouse(s)
​
(m. 1964)​
Children
Alma materUniversidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo

Rosa Altagracia Eulogia Gómez Arias de Mejía (born March 11, 1940 in Gurabo) is the former First Lady of the Dominican Republic from 2000 until 2004 and wife of former President Hipólito Mejía.

Gómez was the first woman to head the official government Office of the First Lady, which was created by Decree 741-00 on September 10, 2000, less than a month after she assumed the position.[1][2] She focused on education, social initiatives, and cultural issues during her four year tenure.[3]

Biography[]

Rosa Gómez Arias was born in Gurabo, Santiago Province. She studied education at the Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo.[3] Gómez married Hipólito Mejía on July 4, 1964.[3] The couple have four children - : Ramón, Felipe, Carolina and Lissa. Their daughter, Carolina Mejía de Garrigó was a candidate for Vice President of the Dominican Republic in 2016 and became Mayor of the Distrito Nacional (Santo Domingo) in 2020.

Gómez de Mejía became First Lady of the Dominican Republic on August 16, 2000, with the inauguration of her husband, Hipólito Mejía. Gómez was the country's first new First Lady since Asela Mera de Jorge left the office in 1986. From 1986 until 2000, the Presidents of the Dominican Republic were either unmarried (Joaquín Balaguer) or divorced at the time (Leonel Fernández).

The official, government Office of the First Lady was created by Decree 741 of September 10, 2000.[1][4] Rosa Gómez de Mejía became the first First Lady to head and coordinate the new government office from September 2000 until she left the position in 2004.[1]

As first lady, Gómez helped to conceive and establish (The Trampoline Children's Museum), a children's museum and nonprofit focused on introducing Dominican children to new educational and cultural experiences.[3] The museum, which opened on April 30, 2004, is housed in the , the 15th Century home of Rodrigo de Bastidas, in Santo Domingo's Ciudad Colonial neighborhood.[5] The museum's exhibition rooms include science rooms and an open-air theater. Approximately 90,000 children visit the institution annually.[5]

Honors[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c Perez, Celeste (2020-07-08). "¿Qué es y cómo funciona el Despacho de la Primera Dama?". Listín Diario. Archived from the original on 2021-02-28. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
  2. ^ Perez, Celeste (2020-08-26). "Mujeres de poder: un recorrido por la historia de las primeras damas de la República". Listín Diario. Archived from the original on 2021-02-28. Retrieved 2021-08-16.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Doña Rosa Gómez de Mejía biografia". Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra. 2007. Archived from the original on 2021-07-13. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
  4. ^ "Despacho de la Primera Dama de República Dominicana: Creación del Despacho". Office of the First Lady of the Dominican Republic. Archived from the original on 2012-06-21. Retrieved 2021-07-14.
  5. ^ a b "Quienese Somos: Historia y base legal de la organizacion". . 2013. Archived from the original on 2021-05-25. Retrieved 2021-07-14.
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