Berta Puga Martínez was twice First Lady

First Lady

First Lady or First Gentlemanis the unofficial title used in some countries for the spouse of an elected head of state.It is not normally used to refer to the spouse or partner of a prime minister; the husband or wife of the British Prime Minister is usually informally referred to as prime...

 of Colombia

Colombia

Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...

 as wife of President Alberto Lleras Camargo

Alberto Lleras Camargo

Alberto Lleras Camargo was an important Colombian diplomat and political figure.He was a member of the Liberal Party of Colombia; he served as congressman , Minister of Education, Minister of the Interior and Minister of Foreign Affairs, during the governments of Alfonso López Pumarejo and Eduardo...

. She was born in Temuco

Temuco

Temuco is a city and commune, capital of the Cautín Province and of the Araucanía Region in southern Chile. The name comes from the Mapudungun language, meaning "temu water"; "temu" is a tree used by Mapuches for medicinal purposes. The city is located 670 km south of Santiago...

, Chile

Chile

Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...

, daughter of General Arturo Puga

Arturo Puga

General Arturo Puga Osorio , was a Chilean military officer and Chairman of Government Junta in 1932.On June 4, 1932 he became Chairman of the Government Junta that was established after the resignation of President Juan Esteban Montero...

 and his wife Bertha Martínez. She moved to Colombia with her family when her father was named Chilean Ambassador to Colombia, and it was then that she met her future husband Alberto Lleras Camargo. They married in 1931 and of this union had four kids. In 1948 she travelled to the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 when her husband was named Secretary General of the Organization of American States

Secretary General of the Organization of American States

According to the Charter of the Organization of American States:-Secretaries General of the OAS:-Assistant Secretaries General of the OAS:*William Manger *William Sanders...

. She died in Bogotá

Bogotá

Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...

 of natural causes at the age of 98.

Colombian First Lady

Despiter her Chilean nationality, Puga Martínez was welcomed in Colombia for her charm and kindness. She was very discreet and never a public figure despite her position. As First Lady of Colombia, she played hostess to President John F. Kennedy

John F. Kennedy

John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....

 and his wife Jacqueline Kennedy when they visited Colombia in December 1961, whom she had met previously when she lived in Washington DC  when her husband was serving as Secretary of the OAS.

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