Kate Donnelly
Encyclopedia
Kate Donnelly is the wife of former Governor of Puerto Rico
Carlos Romero Barceló
, and served as First Lady
from 1977 to 1984. Prior to that, she served for eight years (1969 to 1976) as First Lady of San Juan
, Puerto Rico's capital city.
Donnelly was born in Long Island
, New York
, but moved to Puerto Rico in the early 1960s to work with Citibank
. She met Carlos Romero Barceló
, who was a young attorney at the time. They had two children, Juan Carlos and Melinda
.
During her years as First Lady of San Juan she kept a relatively low profile, due in part to the fact that she was raising her two small children, as well as giving support to her husband's two sons from his previous marriage. She did exert pressure to save Borinquen Park, one of the few remaining windows to the sea in the Condado area of San Juan. By the 1976 gubernatorial campaign she began a more active role in her husband's bid for governorship.
As First Lady, she assumed an active role on many issues, including providing support to the widows of policemen killed in the line of duty. She wrote a cookbook with her favorite recipes, "Cocinando desde La Fortaleza", the proceeds of which were donated entirely to charity. She also became active in the rights of the disabled, becoming one of the few First Ladies to ever testify at the Puerto Rico Legislative Assembly when she lobbied in favor of approval of a bill regarding the removal of architectural barriers affecting the physically handicapped, a bill suggested by architect George McClintock and filed by then-House Consumer Affairs chair Jorge Navarro Alicea.
Other issues that attracted Donnelly's attention were environmental conservation, the arts, children's causes, education and historic preservation.
After leaving the Governor's Mansion, she began assuming roles independent of her role as spouse of an active politician, serving as a member of the board of the San Juan Arts League and in 1999 was appointed as one of three Trustees of the Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico
, a Congressionally created trust that owns and manages several of Puerto Rico's most valuable environmentally sensitive areas. The Secretary of the Interior, Gale Norton
, and Governor Aníbal Acevedo Vilá
appointed her to a second term in 2005, joined by recent appointees Loren Ferré Rangel
and Mack Mattingly
. She is also a member of the board of the San Juan Art Students League.
Governor of Puerto Rico
The Governor of Puerto Rico is the Head of Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Since 1948, the Governor has been elected by the people of Puerto Rico...
Carlos Romero Barceló
Carlos Romero Barceló
Carlos Antonio Romero Barceló is a Puerto Rican politician who served as the fifth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the second governor to be elected from the New Progressive Party and also Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico from 1993 to 2001, making him one of the more successful...
, and served as First Lady
First Lady of Puerto Rico
First Lady of Puerto Rico is the title traditionally given to the spouse of the Governor of Puerto Rico. The current First Lady is Lucé Vela.-Current:...
from 1977 to 1984. Prior to that, she served for eight years (1969 to 1976) as First Lady of San Juan
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
, Puerto Rico's capital city.
Donnelly was born in Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, but moved to Puerto Rico in the early 1960s to work with Citibank
Citibank
Citibank, a major international bank, is the consumer banking arm of financial services giant Citigroup. Citibank was founded in 1812 as the City Bank of New York, later First National City Bank of New York...
. She met Carlos Romero Barceló
Carlos Romero Barceló
Carlos Antonio Romero Barceló is a Puerto Rican politician who served as the fifth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the second governor to be elected from the New Progressive Party and also Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico from 1993 to 2001, making him one of the more successful...
, who was a young attorney at the time. They had two children, Juan Carlos and Melinda
Melinda Romero Donnelly
Melinda Kathleen Romero Donnelly is a Puerto Rican politician, Senator, and former Representative. She is the youngest daughter of former Governor of Puerto Rico Carlos Romero Barceló and Kate Donnelly.-Early years:...
.
During her years as First Lady of San Juan she kept a relatively low profile, due in part to the fact that she was raising her two small children, as well as giving support to her husband's two sons from his previous marriage. She did exert pressure to save Borinquen Park, one of the few remaining windows to the sea in the Condado area of San Juan. By the 1976 gubernatorial campaign she began a more active role in her husband's bid for governorship.
As First Lady, she assumed an active role on many issues, including providing support to the widows of policemen killed in the line of duty. She wrote a cookbook with her favorite recipes, "Cocinando desde La Fortaleza", the proceeds of which were donated entirely to charity. She also became active in the rights of the disabled, becoming one of the few First Ladies to ever testify at the Puerto Rico Legislative Assembly when she lobbied in favor of approval of a bill regarding the removal of architectural barriers affecting the physically handicapped, a bill suggested by architect George McClintock and filed by then-House Consumer Affairs chair Jorge Navarro Alicea.
Other issues that attracted Donnelly's attention were environmental conservation, the arts, children's causes, education and historic preservation.
After leaving the Governor's Mansion, she began assuming roles independent of her role as spouse of an active politician, serving as a member of the board of the San Juan Arts League and in 1999 was appointed as one of three Trustees of the Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico
Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico
The Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico, the brainchild of President Lyndon B. Johnson's Secretary of the Interior, Stewart Udall, is a private, non-profit, Congressionally created, entity that owns and manages many of the most environmentally sensitive properties in Puerto Rico.The Trust is led by...
, a Congressionally created trust that owns and manages several of Puerto Rico's most valuable environmentally sensitive areas. The Secretary of the Interior, Gale Norton
Gale Norton
Gale Ann Norton served as the 48th United States Secretary of the Interior from 2001 to 2006 under President George W. Bush...
, and Governor Aníbal Acevedo Vilá
Aníbal Acevedo Vilá
Aníbal Salvador Acevedo Vilá is a Puerto Rican politician and lawyer. He served as the eighth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a Commonwealth of the United States, from 2005 to 2009. He is a Harvard University alumnus and a graduate of the University of Puerto Rico School of Law,...
appointed her to a second term in 2005, joined by recent appointees Loren Ferré Rangel
Loren Ferré Rangel
María Lorenza Loren Ferré Rangel is a Trustee of the Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico, appointed jointly by Secretary of the Interior Gail Norton and Governor Aníbal Acevedo Vilá, after serving for several years as Chair of the Trust's Board of Advisors...
and Mack Mattingly
Mack Mattingly
Mack Francis Mattingly served one term as a United States senator from Georgia, the first Republican to serve in the U.S. Senate from that state since Reconstruction.-Early life:...
. She is also a member of the board of the San Juan Art Students League.