Francesca Donner
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 프란체스카 도너 리 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | 프란체스카 도너 李 |
| Revised Romanization | Peurancheseuka Doneo Ri |
| McCune–Reischauer | P'ŭranch'esŭk'a Tonŏ Ri |
Francesca Donner (Korean: 프란체스카 도너, Peurancheseuka Doneo) (June 15, 1900– March 19, 1992) was the second wife of Syngman Rhee, and thus was the first First Lady of South Korea from 1948 to 1960.
Correct Spelling of Her Name
According to birth documents, she was born Franziska Donner. She later used the spelling Franzeska Donner (even in official documents). Otherwise, the most common spelling of her name was the Italian form, Francesca. This version is used in all of her Korean documents (including her passport).
Although women in South Korea generally do not take their husband's family name, Franziska's name sometimes appeared as "Francesca Rhee."[1]
Life
Franziska Donner was born in the municipality of Inzersdorf, which would be incorporated into Vienna in 1938. She worked at the League of Nations in Geneva as an interpreter, diplomat, and hostess. In 1933, she met Korean politician Syngman Rhee (Yi Seung-man 이승만) in a Geneva hotel. At the time Rhee was living in the United States, he was only on a visit in Geneva. He visited her shortly afterwards in Austria and asked to marry her. Franziska followed him to the US, and the marriage took place in 1934 in New York.[2] For both, it was a second marriage.
They lived initially in New York and Washington, DC, and then in Hawaii, where a large Korean community in exile was politically active. Franziska worked in the US as Rhee's secretary, particularly in the preparation of the book Japan Inside Out (1940).
After the defeat of Japan in World War II, Rhee returned to Korea in October 1946 with the support of the US government; Franziska followed him there a few months later.
In March 1948, Rhee was elected first president of the Republic of Korea, an office he held until 1960. "Francesca Rhee" was from 1948 to 1960 the first First Lady of South Korea. She appeared at her husband's side in almost all public functions.
When the Rhees were forced into exile in 1960, they settled in Hawaii. Francesca cared for her husband after he suffered a stroke and until his death on July 19, 1965. She then returned to Austria.
After five years of residence in Austria, which she had left more than 30 years ago, Francesca returned to Korea in 1970. She lived from 1970 to 1992 in Seoul, specifically in the Iwhajang, the former home of President Rhee, together with their adoptive son, Rhee In-soo (Yi In-su 이인수) and his family. She died in 1992 in Seoul.
As President Rhee's widow, Francesca lived in relative quiet. She often wore Korean clothing, hanbok, and cooked and ate almost exclusively Korean.[3]
References
- ^ Yi Sun-ae 이순애 [Soonae Lee-Fink], Peurancheseuka Ri Seutori 프란체스카 리 스토리 [The story of Francesca Rhee] (Seoul: Raendeom Hauseu Jungang 랜덤하우스중앙 [Random House JoongAng], 2005), cover. (ISBN 89-5924-999-8.)
- ^ Yi Sun-ae, Peurancheseuka Ri Seutori (Seoul: Raendeom Hauseu Jungang, 2005).
- ^ "Franziska Donner," Wikipedia: Die freie Enzyklopädie, http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franziska_Donner.