Hope Portocarrero

Hope Portocarrero
Born June 28, 1929
Tampa, Florida, United States
Died October 5, 1991(1991-10-05) (aged 62)
Miami, Florida, United States
Alma mater Barnard College
Occupation First Lady of Nicaragua
Spouse(s) Anastasio Somoza Debayle
Archie Angelo Baldocchi
Children Anastasio, Julio, Carolina, Carla, and Roberto
Parent(s) Nestor Portocarrero Gross (father)
Blanca Debayle Sacasa de Portocarrero (mother)

Hope Portocarrero, also known as Madame Somoza (June 28, 1929 – 5 October 1991) was the First Lady of Nicaragua, the wife of dictator Anastasio Somoza Debayle and mother of Anastasio Somoza Portocarrero. She was named to the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 1968.

Early life

Born in Tampa, Florida, she was the daughter of Dr. Nestor Portocarrero Gross and Blanca DeBayle Sacasa de Portocarrero. She and her brother, Nestor, were the only two children produced by their marriage.

She was of Spanish, French and German descent. Her grandfather was Dr. Luis Henri DeBayle Pallais, good friend of Rubén Darío, married to Casimira Sacasa Sacasa. Her great-grandfather was Roberto Sacasa Sarria, former President of Nicaragua. The DeBayles and Portocarreros were among Nicaragua's wealthiest families.

She spoke fluent English, Italian, Spanish, and French and had an appreciation for art and culture. After 1943, she moved to Washington, D.C. where she often spent time with her cousin Lillian Sevilla-Sacasa (née Somoza). She later attended Barnard College in New York City.

Marriage

Portocarrero and her cousin Anastasio Somoza Debayle were married on 10 December 1950 in Managua's Cathedral by Archbishop José Antonio Lezcano. Over 4,000 guests attended the ceremony. The reception was given by President Anastasio Somoza García in the luxurious and modern Palacio de Comunicaciones. They traveled to South America for their honeymoon.

The Somozas had five children: Anastasio, Julio, Carolina, Carla, and Roberto.

First Lady of Nicaragua

In 1967 she became the First Lady of Nicaragua and was covered in the media for her fashionable wardrobe. She served as a hostess for many state visits, among them U.S. President Richard Nixon and Japanese Emperor Hirohito.

Somoza was also president of the Junta Nacional de Asistencia y Previsión Social (National Social Security). She created the National Cultural Center, the General Archives of the National Library, National Conservatory of Music, National School of Fine Arts (Bellas Artes), National Museum, and Plurar Gallery. Her biggest legacies were the constructions of Teatro Nacional Rubén Darío (The National Theater of Nicaragua), the Children's Hospital, a clinic for Nicaraguan women and a Center for Orphans "The Hope".

Final years

Due to continuing marital strife, Anastasio commenced a relationship with a mistress, Dinorah Sampson. Hope later relocated to London. She never divorced her cousin Anastasio. A year after he died , she married Archie Baldocchi, a wealthy Salvadoran businessman. She died of cancer in Miami on 5 October 1991.

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Further reading

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