Background
According to birth documents, she was born Franziska Donner. Donner was born in the municipality of Inzersdorf, which would be incorporated into Vienna in 1938.
According to birth documents, she was born Franziska Donner. Donner was born in the municipality of Inzersdorf, which would be incorporated into Vienna in 1938.
She later used the spelling Franzeska Donner (even in official documents). Otherwise, the most common spelling of her name was the Italian form, Francesca. This version is used in all of her Korean documents (including her passport).
She worked at the League of Nations in Geneva as an interpreter, diplomat, and hostess.
In 1933, she met Korean politician Syngman Rhee (Yi Seung-man 이승만) in a Geneva hotel. At the time Rhee was living in the United States, he was only on a visit in Geneva.
He visited her shortly afterwards in Austria and asked to marry her. Foreign both, it was a second marriage.
Donner and Rhee lived initially in New York and Washington, District of Columbia, and then in Hawaii, where a large Korean expatriate community-in-exile was politically active.
Donner worked in the United States. as Rhee"s secretary, particularly in the preparation of the book Japan Inside Out (1940). After the defeat of the Empire of Japan in World World War II, Rhee returned to of Korea in October 1945 with the support of the United States. government. Donner followed him there a few months later.
In March 1948, Rhee was elected first president of South of Korea, an office he held until 1960.
"Francesca Rhee" was from 1948 to 1960 the first First Lady of South of Korea. She appeared at her husband"s side in almost all public functions.
When the Rhees were forced into exile in 1960, they settled in Hawaii. She then returned to Austria.
After five years of residence in Austria, which she had left more than 30 years earlier, Donner returned to South of Korea in 1970.
Death
Donner died on March 19, 1992, in Seoul, South of Korea.