Mercedes Valdés Cuevas | |
|---|---|
 | |
| First Lady of Chile | |
| In role 1910–1915 | |
| President | Ramón Barros Luco |
| Preceded by | Sara del Campo |
| Succeeded by | Ana Echazarreta |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Mercedes Valdés Cuevas 1843 (1843) |
| Died | 4 September 1926(1926-09-04) (aged 82–83) |
| Resting place | Santiago General Cemetery |
| Spouse |
Ramón Barros Luco
(m. 1895; died 1919) |
Mercedes Valdés Cuevas de Barros Luco (née Valdés Cuevas; 1843 – 4 September 1926) was a Chilean philanthropist and First Lady during 1910 to 1915.[1][2]
Biography
Valdés was born in 1843 in Santiago to Francisco de Borja Valdés Aldunate and Alejandra Cuevas Avaria.[1][3][4] Through her father Valdés was a member of the Chilean Valdés family.[1][5] Valdés was the sister of the politicians Francisco de Borja Valdés and José Florencio Valdés Cuevas.[1][3][4]
In 1895, Valdés married Ramón Barros Luco, a lawyer, politician and future 16th President of Chile.[2]
Following her husband's death in 1919, Valdés gave a sufficient donation to the Hospital Barros Luco Trudeau.[1]
On 4 September 1926 Valdés died in Santiago.[1] Upon her death Valdés bequeathed her assets to the Institute of Evangelical Charity "Fraternity of Sorrows" (Spanish: Instituto de Caridad Evangélica Hermandad de Dolores), Santiago Charity Board (Spanish: Junta de Beneficencia de Santiago) and the Hospital Barros Luco Trudeau.[6] Valdés was buried at the Santiago General Cemetery.[1]
References
- "Mercedes Valdés Cuevas". Primeras Damas de Chile (PDF). Chile: Centro de Estudios Históricos Forenses. pp. 87–90. ISBN 978-956-7620-21-0. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
- "Reseña Biográfica Ramón Barros Luco". Presidentes de la República de Chile (in Spanish). Valparaíso, Chile: Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
- "Reseña Biográfica Francisco de Borja Valdés Cuevas". Reseñas biográficas parlamentarias (in Spanish). Valparaíso, Chile: Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
- "Reseña Biográfica José Florencio Valdés Cuevas". Reseñas biográficas parlamentarias (in Spanish). Valparaíso, Chile: Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
- Balmaceda Valdés, Eduardo (1969). Un mundo que se fue... Santiago, Chile: Editorial Andres Bello. p. 348. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
- "EAP1289/1/2/16 "Señora Mercedes Valdés de Barros Luco"". Endangered Archives Programme. London: British Library. Retrieved 25 March 2026.