The Papandreou family is in deep mourning following the passing of Margarita Papandreou at the age of 102.
Margarita Papandreou (Margaret Esther Chad) was born in Oak Park, Illinois, in the United States.
She was the second wife of former Greek Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou from 1951 to 1989.
She is the mother of four children, including former Greek Prime Minister George A. Papandreou and Member of the European Parliament Nikos Papandreou.
Margarita Papandreou initially studied journalism and then earned her master’s degree in Public Health at the University of Minnesota, where she met Andreas Papandreou in 1947.
They lived first in Minnesota and later in California, where Andreas Papandreou was Chair of the Department of Economics at the University of California, Berkeley, and a close friend of Pat Brown, who later became governor of California.
They were married in a civil ceremony on August 30, 1951, in Rino.
She and Andreas Papandreou had four children: George, Sophia, Nikos, and Andreas Papandreou.
Margarita Papandreou was also known for her activism.
She founded the Women’s Union of Greece (E.G.E.) and served as its president for eight years, while advocating for women’s rights as well as for peace.
She played a leading role in promoting, drafting, and passing laws that greatly improved the legal and social status of Greek women, such as the abolition of the dowry system (1982), the legalization of abortion (1986), the introduction of civil marriage (1982), the legalization of divorce by mutual consent, the right for women to keep their maiden names after marriage, and the granting of equal rights with their spouses regarding the custody of their children.
Margarita Papandreou has also written many articles and books.
