Kate de Romero

Kate de Romero
Kate de Romero
7th First Lady of Puerto Rico
	In role; January 2, 1977 - January 2, 1985
Governor	Carlos Romero Barceló
Preceded by	Lila Mayoral
Succeeded by	Lila Mayoral
First Lady of San Juan, Puerto Rico
	In role; January 2, 1969 – January 2, 1977
Preceded by	Genaro A. Gautier
Succeeded by	Beatriz Corrada del Río
Personal details
Born	Kathleen Donnelly; Baldwin, New York, U.S.
Spouse(s)	Carlos Romero Barceló
Children	Juan Carlos; Melinda

Kate de Romero, also known as Dona Kate and Kate Romero, is the wife of former Puerto Rico Governor Carlos Romero Barceló and served as First Lady of Puerto Rico from 1977 to 1985.[1] She also served as a Trustee of the Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico from 1999 to 2008.

Biography

U.S. Interior Secretary Gale Norton (second from left) and members of the Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico in 2005. Romero is second from right.

Romero was born as Kathleen Donnelly in Baldwin, a hamlet on New York's Long Island.

While working as a secretary in Manhattan, she went on vacation to Puerto Rico and became interested in living there. After a second vacation, she got a telephone book for Puerto Rico and sent letters to 35 companies to ask about a job. Only two companies replied to her letters, including the San Juan branch of the First National City Bank. She was invited for an interview and traveled back to Puerto Rico, after which she was hired.[2]

Several years later, while living in Puerto Rico, she met lawyer Carlos Romero Barceló while dining at a restaurant in San Juan. He asked her for lunch the next day and they began dating. They married 18 months later, in 1966. Romero Barceló became Mayor of San Juan in 1969 and in 1976 he was elected Governor of Puerto Rico, making Romero the territory's First Lady.[2]

While serving as First Lady, she advocated for the disabled, the elderly, and better education. She supports the movement to grant statehood to Puerto Rico.[2]

In 1999, Romero was appointed to the board of trustees of the Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico. She was reappointed to a second, three-year term in 2005. During her term, she supported issues relating to the environment, the arts, the rights of the disabled, parks, children's causes, education, and Puerto Rico's cultural, historic and artistic heritage.[3]

References

Geniesse, Jane (May 13, 1979). "Puerto Rico's First Lady Manages Historical Dwelling". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. p. 9H. Retrieved 11 April 2011.
"Dona Kate, A First Lady From L.I." The New York Times. May 9, 1982.
"Interior Secretary, Puerto Rico Governor Appoint New Leadership to Board of Trustees of The Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico". www.doi.gov. 18 May 2005. Retrieved 4 September 2019.

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[1] Geniesse, Jane (May 13, 1979). "Puerto Rico's First Lady Manages Historical Dwelling". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. p. 9H. Retrieved 11 April 2011.

[NYTimes-2] "Dona Kate, A First Lady From L.I." The New York Times. May 9, 1982.

[3] "Interior Secretary, Puerto Rico Governor Appoint New Leadership to Board of Trustees of The Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico". www.doi.gov. 18 May 2005. Retrieved 4 September 2019.