First ladies and gentlemen of Costa Rica

First Lady or First Gentleman of Costa Rica (Spanish: Primera dama o Primer caballero de Costa Rica) is the title of the wife or husband of the president of Costa Rica. Traditionally, the president's wife was colloquially known as la presidenta ("the president", with a feminine -a ending). The current term was first used under Federico Alberto Tinoco Granados.

Operations The Office of First Lady of First Gentleman is allocated no official funding from the government budget of Costa Rica. Instead, the office and officeholder relies on private donations to cover the expenses. These funds support the first lady's causes and foundations, which traditionally focus on cultural, environmental, and social issues. The office of Leila Rodríguez Stahl, the first lady 2002 to 2006, had a staff of approximately 60 at its largest. However, many of those staffers worked pro bono or were employed temporarily from other government offices.

First ladies and gentlemen of Costa Rica (1847–present) ImageFirst Lady or GentlemanLifespanPresidentYears in positionNotesPacífica Fernández Oreamuno1828–1885José María Castro Madriz1847–1849José María Castro Madriz was the first President of Costa Rica, making Pacífica Fernández the inaugural First Lady.Felipa Montes de Oca Gamero1814–1882Miguel Mora Porras1849Inés Aguilar Cueto1830–1895Juan Rafael Mora Porras1849–1859Sofía Matilde Joy Redman1823–1908José María Montealegre Fernández1859–1863Born in the United KingdomEsmeralda Oreamuno Gutiérrez1834–1873Jesús Jiménez Zamora1863 –1866Pacífica Fernández Oreamuno1828–1885José María Castro Madriz1866–1868Esmeralda Oreamuno Gutiérrez1834–1873Jesús Jiménez Zamora1868–1870Gerónima Montealegre Fernández1823–1892Bruno Carranza Ramírez1870Emilia Solórzano Alfaro1835–1882Tomás Guardia Gutiérrez1870–1876Isaura Carazo Peralta1838–1905Aniceto Esquivel Sáenz1876Guadalupe Gutiérrez García1828–1886Vicente Herrera Zeledón1876–1877Emilia Solórzano Alfaro1835–1914Tomás Guardia Gutiérrez1877–1882Angélica Guardia Solórzano1858–1938Saturnino Lizano Gutiérrez1882Cristina Guardia Gutiérrez1842–1907Próspero Fernández Oreamuno1882–1885Pacífica Fernández Guardia1864–1919Bernardo Soto Alfaro1885–1890Luisa Alvarado Carrillo1853–1943José Rodríguez Zeledón 1890–1894Manuela Rodríguez Alvarado1872–1953Rafael Yglesias Castro 1894–1902Adela Salazar Guardia1869–1907Ascensión Esquivel Ibarra1902–1906Adela Herrán Bonilla1861–1932Cleto González Víquez1906–1910Vacant since President Oreamuno was unmarriedRicardo Jiménez Oreamuno1910–1914Vacant since President González was unmarriedAlfredo González Flores1914–1917María Fernández Le Cappellain1877–1961Federico Tinoco Granados1917–1919Clementina Quirós Quirós1875–1965Juan Bautista Quirós Segura1919Natalia Morúa OrtízFrancisco Aguilar Barquero1919–1920Elena Gallegos Rosales1882–1954Julio Acosta García1920–1924Born in El SalvadorVacant since President Oreamuno was unmarriedRicardo Jiménez Oreamuno1924–1928Adela Herrán Bonilla1861–1932Cleto González Víquez1928–1932Died in 1932 while President González was still in officeBeatriz Zamora López1871–1933Ricardo Jiménez Oreamuno1932–1933Beatriz Zamora López died in office in 1933. There was no First Lady until 1936María Eugenia Calvo Badia1914–19831936Second wife of President OreamunoJulia Fernández Rodríguez1882–1957León Cortés Castro1936–1940Yvonne Clays Spoelders1906–1994Rafael Ángel Calderón Guardia1940–1944Born in Belgium. First woman to serve as a Costa Rican diplomat.Etelvina Ramírez Montiel1901–1976Teodoro Picado Michalski1944–1948Henrietta Boggs1918–2020José Figueres Ferrer1948–1949Born in the United States. Boggs and Figueres divorced on January 1, 1954Vacant since President Ulate was unmarriedOtilio Ulate Blanco1949–1953President Ulate never married, though he was in a long-term relationship with Haydée Rojas Smith for many years. Karen Olsen Beck1930–2025José Figueres Ferrer1954–1958Born in Denmark. Olsen married President Figueres in office on February 7, 1954, becoming First Lady.Olga De Benedictis Antonelli 1916–2001Mario Echandi Jiménez1958–1962Daughter of Italian parentsMarita Camacho Quirós1911–2025Francisco José Orlich Bolmarcich1962–1966Became a supercentenarian in 2021.Clara Fonseca Guardia1916–2002José Joaquín Trejos Fernández1966–1970Karen Olsen Beck1930–2025José Figueres Ferrer1970–1974Born in DenmarkMarjorie Elliott Sypher1925–2015Daniel Oduber Quirós1974–1978Born in CanadaEstrella Zeledón Lizano1929–2019Rodrigo Carazo Odio1978–1982Doris Yankelewitz Berger1934–2016Luis Alberto Monge Álvarez 1982–1986 Costa Rica's first Jewish First Lady Margarita Penón Góngora1948–Óscar Arias Sánchez 1986–1990 Gloria Bejarano Almada1952–Rafael Ángel Calderón Fournier 1990–1994 Born in Mexico Josette Altmann Borbón1958–José María Figueres Olsen 1994–1998Lorena Clare Facio1943–2026Miguel Ángel Rodríguez Echeverría 1998–2002Leila Rodríguez Stahl1942–Abel Pacheco de la Espriella2002–2006 Rodriguez won the Miss Costa Rica pageant in 1960Vacant since President Arias was divorced at the timeÓscar Arias2006–2010José María Rico1934–2019Laura Chinchilla Miranda2010–2014Born in Spain. 1st First Gentleman of Costa RicaMercedes Peñas Domingo1968–Luis Guillermo Solís Rivera2014–2018Born in SpainClaudia Dobles Camargo1980–Carlos Alvarado Quesada2018–2022Signe Zeikate1972–Rodrigo Chaves Robles2022–2026Born in LatviaJeffrey Umaña Avendaño1986–Laura Fernández Delgado2026–Present

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