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Kathleen de Romero (née Donnelly; 1937 – September 18, 2023), also known as Doña Kate and Kate Romero, was the wife of former Puerto Rico Governor Carlos Romero Barceló and served as First Lady of Puerto Rico from 1977 to 1985. She also served as a Trustee of the Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico from 1999 to 2008.

Biography

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

While working as a secretary in Manhattan, de Romero 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.

Several years later, while living in Puerto Rico, de Romero met lawyer Carlos Romero Barceló and they got married 18 months later, in 1966. Romero Barceló became the first elected Mayor of San Juan in 1969 and in 1976 he was elected Governor of Puerto Rico, making Romero the capital city's and the island's First Lady. They had two children, Juan Carlos and Melinda, who has served as commonwealth senator and representative and as well has been elected as a member of Puerto Rico's "shadow" congressional delegation.

While serving as First Lady, de Romero advocated for the disabled, the elderly, and better education. She supported the movement to grant statehood to Puerto Rico. She also wrote a cookbook with her favorite recipes, "Cocinando desde La Fortaleza", the proceeds of which were donated entirely to charity.

In 1999, de 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.

Death

Kate de Romero died on September 18, 2023, at the age of 86.

References

1. Geniesse, Jane (May 13, 1979). "Puerto Rico's First Lady Manages Historical Dwelling". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. p. 9H. Retrieved 11 April 2011.
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.
4. "Fallece la exprimera dama Kate Donnelly". Telemundo Puerto Rico (in Spanish). September 18, 2023. Retrieved September 19, 2023.

• 1937 births
• 2023 deaths
• 20th-century Puerto Rican women
• 21st-century Puerto Rican women
• First ladies and gentlemen of Puerto Rico
• People from Baldwin, Nassau County, New York