Chirac, Bernadette (1933–)

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Chirac, Bernadette (1933–)

French first lady. Born Bernadette Chodron de Courcel, May 18, 1933, in Paris, France; graduate of the Paris Institut d'Etudes Politiques; received a master's in archeology; m. Jacques Chirac (b. 1932, elected president of France in 1995 and reelected 2002), Mar 16, 1956; children: Laurence and Claude Chirac.

Elected to the Sarran (Corrèze) Municipal Council (1971); was deputy to the mayor of Sarran (1977); was founder and president of the Association for the Promotion of the Arts; elected to the Corrèze General Council, the 1st woman to occupy a seat in this Departmental Assembly (1979), then reelected (1992); served as president of the Association Fondation-Hôpitaux de Paris (1994).