Imelda Marcos spent more than 20 years as the first lady of the

Philippines before being driven from power. She became infamous for
her lavish spending habits before returning to politics.
Who Is Imelda Marcos?

Imelda Marcos married politician Ferdinand Marcos in 1954. Marcos became the first lady of the
Philippines in 1965. While her husband held office, she had several government positions, with
the regime becoming a dictatorship known for human rights abuses and alleged money
laundering. Marcos herself was particularly scrutinized for her spending, which included a huge
shoe collection and investment in New York real estate. In 1986, she and her husband fled the
country. Marcos eventually returned home and was elected to the national congress in both 1995
and 2010, with two of her children entering politics as well.

Early Life

Born on July 2, 1929, in Manila, the capital city of the Philippines, Marcos is best known as the
former first lady of the Philippines. (Some references have cited Leyte province as her
birthplace.) First, however, she was Imelda Remedios Visitacion Romualdez, the oldest daughter
of a lawyer and a homemaker. She grew up with her five younger siblings and several older half-
siblings from her father's first marriage.

Marcos experienced a number of hardships at a young age. She lost her mother to pneumonia
when she was eight, and her father's law practice fizzled out around the same time. He then
moved to the family to Tacloban in Leyte, his home province. The family continued to struggle
financially. A skilled vocalist, Marcos attended an all-girls school called Holy Infant Academy in
Tacloban.