Charlotte Garrigue Masaryk was the wife of the Czechoslovak philosopher, sociologist, and politician, Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, the first President of Czechoslovakia.
Background
She was born to a Unitarian family with Huguenot ancestry on her father"s side and having a Mayflower passengers" descent on her mother"s side. She was niece of Henry Jacques Garrigues and great-granddaughter of Christian Vilhelm Duntzfelt.
Career
In 1881, the Masaryks moved to Prague, where Tomáš obtained a professorship at the University of Prague. Of the couple"s six children, four reached adulthood - Alice, Herbert, Olga, and January, who later became a noted Czechoslovakian diplomat and politician. In the era before the First World War, Masaryk became involved in many social, humanitarian, and cultural activities of Prague society.
Foreign the majority of the war, Masaryk was under police supervision, while daughter Alice was even under arrest.
The situation became even worse when son Herbert died of typhus in 1915. All of these hardships caused Charlotte Masaryk to suffer from depression and cardiac problems.
In December 1918, Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk returned to Prague as the President of Czechoslovakia. The family began living at the Prague Castle, often spending time at the chateau of Lány.