Former French first lady Bernadette Chirac dies at 93
What's new: She also held elected office in Corrèze for decades, a rare independent power base for a French presidential spouse.
Bernadette Chirac, the former first lady of France and widow of ex-President Jacques Chirac, died peacefully surrounded by family on June 5 at age 93, her daughter Claude Chirac said. Bernadette Chirac spent 12 years at the Élysée Palace from 1995 to 2007 while her husband served as president, but she also built a political career of her own. She served as a general councillor in Corrèze from 1979 to 2015, making her the only French first lady to hold political office in her own right, according to the reports. President Emmanuel Macron paid tribute to her public service and her work leading a hospital foundation that supported patients across France.