Marie-Thérèse Houphouët-Boigny

Marie-Thérèse Houphouët-Boigny and her husband Félix Houphouët-Boigny in 1962, at a White House reception with the Kennedys.

Marie-Thérèse Houphouët-Boigny (born 1931) was the First Lady of Ivory Coast from 1960 to 1993. Her husband was Félix Houphouët-Boigny, the first President of Côte d'Ivoire.

She was one of six children, and was educated and living in France where she met Félix Houphouët-Boigny, some 25 years older than she was and then married.

Houphouët-Boigny caught the eye of the media as a woman of beauty and grace after a 1962 visit to the Kennedy White House, and was dubbed "Africa's Jackie" by a starstruck media.[1]

In 1987, while still First Lady, she founded the N'Daya International Foundation, dedicated to improving the health, welfare, and education of children in Africa. As the Foundation's president, she led numerous projects in support of children.[2]

In 1990, she helped create and produce a cartoon, Kimboo, to offer cartoon heroes to African children.[2]

Félix and Marie-Thérèse did not have any biological children, but adopted three children together.[3]

References

  1. ↑ "Reigning Beauties". Time. 1962-06-08. Retrieved 2008-08-06.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Ebony update: Marie-Thérèse Houphouët-Boigny: First Lady of the Ivory Coast". Ebony (Johnson Publishing Company) XLV (8): 56, 58. June 1990. ISSN 0012-9011.
  3. ↑ "Histoire de la famille Boigny". Réseau Ivoire. Retrieved 2008-08-04.