Bernadette Chirac, the former First Lady of France and elected representative of Corrèze, has died. The official announcement was made by the Élysée Palace, where President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte expressed their condolences to her family and the nation.
Born in Paris in 1933, Bernadette Chodron de Courcel came from a family connected to the faience and enamel manufacturing industries in the Loiret region. Her upbringing instilled in her values of discipline, dedication, and patriotism. After completing her high school diploma at the Catholic Normal School of Paris, she enrolled at Sciences Po, where she met Jacques Chirac, a young student. They married in 1956, and their partnership remained steadfast throughout their lives.
Although politics was not originally part of their marriage contract, both partners dedicated themselves to serving the Republic. They initially focused their efforts in Corrèze, a region where the family had taken refuge during the war and the Occupation. By the early 1970s, Bernadette Chirac embarked on a parallel political career in Corrèze, her adopted homeland. She was elected municipal councillor in Sarran, where the couple owned a property, and became the first woman to serve as a departmental councillor in 1979, a role she held for four consecutive terms. She remained deeply connected to her electoral base, traversing the countryside and cultivating lasting friendships with the people of Corrèze.
Accompanying her husband’s political journey from Matignon to the Paris City Hall, Bernadette Chirac even resumed archaeology studies, a subject she had loved since childhood. Upon arriving at the Élysée Palace in 1995 as First Lady, she served as a vigilant guardian of the institution for twelve years. She managed various affairs, including hosting heads of state and government, and promoted the French code of conduct, bringing the House of the Republic into the global spotlight.
Beyond her official duties, Bernadette Chirac devoted herself to numerous charitable causes. Leveraging her public profile, she advanced issues close to her heart. As founder and president of various cultural initiatives, she also drew on her personal experience, particularly the illness of her daughter Laurence, to improve hospitalisation conditions and support for young patients. Since 1994, she served as president of the Paris Hospitals Foundation France Hospitals, and in the 2000s, she revitalised the Yellow Ribbon campaign, travelling thousands of kilometres across France to raise awareness. She also chaired the Claude Pompidou Foundation in honour of one of her closest friends. In 2020, she passed the torch of the Paris Hospitals Foundation to Madame Brigitte Macron after twenty-five years of unwavering commitment.
Through these engagements and a shared history with millions of French citizens, patients, healthcare workers, and anonymous supporters, Bernadette Chirac forged a unique bond with the nation. Known as the First Lady and Lady of the Heart, she was celebrated for her discreet yet persistent ability to improve the lives of the most vulnerable. Following the end of Jacques Chirac’s term, she continued to uphold her commitments and preserve the legacy of her family.
President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte have expressed their heartfelt condolences to Claude Chirac, Bernadette’s daughter, her son-in-law Frédéric, her grandson Martin, her family, and all those who loved her.
