Aída Mercedes Batlle
Aída Mercedes Batlle Morell de Bonnelly (July 28, 1909 – January 28, 2011) was a Dominican public figure who served as First Lady of the Dominican Republic from January 1962 to February 1963, during the presidency of her husband, Rafael Filiberto Bonnelly.
She was born in Santiago de los Caballeros into a devout Catholic family and was the great-granddaughter of former president Ulises Espaillat. Aída earned a bachelor's degree at the Normal School of Santiago. In 1930 she married her former professor, Rafael Filiberto Bonnelly, and they had four children. During the 1930s and 1940s, Bonnelly opposed the Trujillo dictatorship, which brought political persecution and hardship to the family. To help, Aída started a homemade ice cream business called “BB.”
In 1944 they moved to Santo Domingo, where Bonnelly held several public roles, including minister, dean of the University of Santo Domingo, and ambassador to Spain and Venezuela. In 1960 he briefly served as Vice President, and in 1962 he became President and head of the Council of State, helping organize the country’s first democratic elections after Trujillo’s rule. As First Lady, Aída led social initiatives, founding the Patronato de la Maternidad de Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia to support pregnant women and young children, establishing Hogar Escuela Mercedes Amiama for vulnerable youth, and working with other women to expand social services in Las Cañitas, a poor Santo Domingo neighborhood.
Her husband died in 1979. Aída Batlle died in 2011 at age 101 in Santo Domingo. She was survived by four children, many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Her funeral was held in Santo Domingo, and she was buried in Christ the Redeemer Cemetery.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 05:09 (CET).