Josefina de Alvear
Josefina de Alvear was an Argentine aristocrat who, along with her husband, oversaw the construction of the Palacio Errázuriz, a large residence in the city of Buenos Aires.
Biography
In 1885, de Alvear married Gregorio Rodríguez, who owned several large tracts of land which he inherited after the death of his father. Rodríguez died soon after, and in 1893, de Alvear, now widowed, founded the town of San Gregorio, in the southern end of the state of Santa Fe, naming the town after her late husband. Today, San Gregorio has over 5,000 residents.In 1897, de Alvear married Chilean diplomat Matías Errázuriz Ortúzar. She moved to Buenos Aires and had two children. Due to the diplomatic nature of her husband's job, the family also spent significant time in France, especially in the cities of Paris and Biarritz. During this time, the family oversaw the construction of a massive home in the city, which was started by French architect René Sergent in 1911 in honor of their marriage. The house was completed in 1918, and was often named the Palacio Errázuriz. In all, the family lived in the house for around 18 years.
De Alvear died in 1935, of cancer.