Amparo Illana

Amparo Illana (1934–2001) was a Spanish noble woman who was the wife of Adolfo Suárez, prime minister of Spain between 1976 and 1981.

Amparo Illana
A young woman looking at the camera
Spouse of the Prime Minister of Spain
In role
1976–1981
Prime MinisterAdolfo Suárez
Personal details
Born
María Amparo Illana Elórtegui

25 May 1934
Madrid, Spain
Died17 May 2001(2001-05-17) (aged 66)
Madrid, Spain
Resting placeÁvila Cathedral, Ávila, Spain
SpouseAdolfo Suárez
Children5

Biography

Illana was born in Madrid on 25 May 1934 into a family of Basque origin.[1][2] Her father was a colonel at the army.[3] She studied English in Ireland and French at a boarding school in France.[4]

She met Adolfo Suárez in Ávila during a summer vacation.[2] Suárez was a native of the town.[5] They married there on 15 July 1961.[2] Her family contributed to the political career of Suárez.[3] Illana was close to the Opus Dei, a Catholic group,[6] and her husband was also a member of the group.[5] She involved in philanthropic activities with a special focus on the Gitanos or Romani people in Spain.[6] She organized a meeting about their problems in Madrid in 1978 in collaboration with the Opus Dei.[6]

Illana had five children with Suárez: María Amparo, Adolfo, Laura, Sonsoles and Javier.[4] Illana was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1994 and died in Madrid on 17 May 2001.[4] She was buried in Ávila Cathedral, Ávila, on 18 May.[2] Her husband would also be buried there next to her in March 2014.[7]

References
  1. Gregorio Morán (2009). Adolfo Suárez: ambición y destino (in Spanish). Barcelona: Random House Mondadori. p. 366. ISBN 978-84-8306-834-2.
  2. "Muere en Madrid Amparo Illana, esposa de Adolfo Suárez, víctima de un cáncer". Ultima Hora (in Spanish). Madrid. OTR Press. 18 May 2001. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
  3. "Adolfo Suárez. La Biografia" (PDF) (in Spanish). Universidad Complutense Madrid. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
  4. "Amparo Illana, esposa de Adolfo Suárez, murió tras años de lucha contra el cáncer". La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). 17 May 2001. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
  5. Paul Preston (23 March 2014). "Adolfo Suárez obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
  6. Patricia Caro Maya; Sarah Werner Boada (2018). "The Challenges of Kalí NGOisation after Francoism: Rethinking Activism in and beyond Spain". In Angéla Kóczé; et al. (eds.). The Romani Women's Movement: Struggles and Debates in Central and Eastern Europe. Abingdon; New York: Routledge. p. 287. ISBN 978-1-351-05037-1.
  7. "Spain's First post-Franco PM, Adolfo Suarez, Laid to Rest". Naharnet. March 2001. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
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