Bertha Hernández Fernández

Who is Bertha Hernández Fernández?

Bertha Hernández Fernández was the wife of the 17th President of Colombia, Mariano Ospina Pérez, and served as First Lady of Colombia from 1946 to 1950. A Conservative party politician, she was elected Senator of Colombia in 1970 and served until 1974.

A leader of the women's suffrage movement in Colombia, she was Chair of the National Feminist Organization of Colombia, a feminist, suffragist organization that aimed to bring together Colombian women regardless of political ideology or socio-economic status to lobby and work towards political recognition, inclusion, and participation for women. Founded in 1954 by Josefina Valencia Muñoz and Esmeralda Arboleda Cadavid, she served as its first Chair with María Currea Manrique as her Deputy.