March 30, 2009
· Filed under Women's History, women in politics, women world leaders · Tagged Edith Cresson, famous firsts, France, Golda Meir, Great Britain, India, Indira Gandhi, Israel, Margaret Thatcher, Prime Minister, women in politics
The first woman prime minister of France from 1991-1992; and the fifth prime minister appointed by President François Mitterrand, Edith Cresson (born 1934) was named to the office May 15, 1991. Edith Cresson was born January 27, 1934, in a fashionable Paris suburb of Boulogne-Billancourt. Her father was a senior civil servant. Raised by a British nanny, she became fluent in the English language.
Cresson attended the School of Advanced Commercial Studies, earning a degree in business and later a doctorate in demography. A successful businesswoman, she added a second career in politics when she met François Mitterrand in 1965. For the next 26 years the future president helped Cresson advance through the ranks of what is now the French Socialist Party, calling her “my little soldier.”
After Mitterrand became president in 1981, Cresson served first as minister of agriculture (1981-1983), then as minister of external trade and tourism (1983-1984), as minister of industrial restructuring and external trade (1984-1986), and finally minister of foreign affairs (1988-1990).
She resigned from the government on October 3, 1990, to work as a consultant on international development. Meanwhile she was three times elected a deputy to the National Assembly from the Vienne province (1981, 1986, and 1988).
Source Cited: http://www.answers.com/topic/edith-cresson
Well known women world leaders: * Indira Gandhi, India, Prime Minister, 1966-77, 1980-1984; * Golda Meir, Israel, Prime Minister, 1969-1974; * Margaret Thatcher, Great Britain, Prime Minister, 1979-1990;
March 26, 2009
· Filed under Quotable Women, Women's History, women in politics, women world leaders · Tagged Aruba, Carnival, Maria Liberia-Peters, Netherlands Antilles, New York Times, Prime Minister, Shell Oil, Staten, women in politics, women world leaders
Maria Liberia-Peters, Netherlands Antilles; Prime Minister, 1984-1986, 1988-1993;
In 1982 Maria Liberia-Peters was elected to the Staten, or legislature, of the Netherlands Antilles. She quickly was appointed to be Minister of Economic Affairs by the coalition government in power. This government lasted only a short while before collapsing in 1984.
In September of that year Maria was asked to form a new coalition government, and she was sworn in as Prime Minister. She was soon demonstrating her independence as she chose to dance and participate in the annual Carnival parade instead of sitting in the traditional, reserved seat of the Prime Minister.
She told the New York Times that “she would not feel happy as a spectator … knowing that I am standing at the side.” Liberia-Peters went on to explain that “some people just feel it’s not appropriate for the prime minister. But she added, “In the first place I’m Maria and in the second place I’m the prime minister. So I’m going.” So participants in the parade could see her tall figure dressed in a green and pink lame dress dancing in the streets.
Maria Liberia-Peters served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands Antilles on two different occasions. The first time was brief, from 1984-86. The second time was from 1988-94.
She states that her biggest challenge was during the period when Shell and Lago Standard Oil had announced the intended closure of their huge oil refineries on Curacao and Aruba. Liberia-Peters was able to work out an agreement with the Venezuelan state owned oil company, PDVSA, to manage the refinery.
Maria was followed by *Susanne Camelia-Romer, Netherlands Antilles; Prime Minister, 1993, 1998-1999.
Source Cited: http://www.answers.com/topic/maria-philomena-liberia-peters
