Teresa Heinz facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Teresa Heinz
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Heinz in 2013
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| Born |
Maria Teresa Thierstein Simões-Ferreira
October 5, 1938 |
| Nationality | American Portuguese |
| Other names | Teresa Heinz Kerry |
| Education |
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| Occupation | Businesswoman, philanthropist |
| Political party | Democratic (since 2003) Republican (until 2003) |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | 3, including André and Christopher |
Teresa Heinz (born Maria Teresa Thierstein Simões-Ferreira on October 5, 1938), also known as Teresa Heinz Kerry, is a businesswoman and a person who gives money to good causes (a philanthropist). She was born in Portugal and is now also an American citizen.
Teresa Heinz was married to John Heinz, who was a U.S. Senator. She is now married to John Kerry, who was also a U.S. Senator and later a special envoy for climate. She has led important groups like the Heinz Endowments, which support many social and environmental projects.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Teresa Heinz was born Maria Teresa Thierstein Simões-Ferreira in a city called Lourenço Marques. This city is now known as Maputo in the country of Mozambique, located in East Africa. Her father was a doctor from Portugal, and her mother had both Portuguese and British family roots.
Teresa went to college in South Africa. In 1960, she earned a degree in Romance Languages and Literature from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. Later, in 1963, she studied at the University of Geneva in Switzerland, where she learned to translate and interpret different languages. After finishing her studies, she moved to the United States to work as an interpreter for the United Nations.
Family Life and Marriages
On February 5, 1966, Teresa married John Heinz in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. John Heinz was from the family that owned the H. J. Heinz Company, famous for its ketchup and other foods. They had three sons: Henry, André, and Christopher. In 1971, Teresa Heinz became a citizen of the United States.
Sadly, John Heinz died in a plane crash on April 4, 1991. Teresa Heinz inherited a large amount of money from him.
Teresa Heinz first met Senator John Kerry at an Earth Day event in 1990. They met again in 1992 at a big environmental meeting in Brazil called the Earth Summit. Teresa Heinz was part of a group from the U.S. government at that meeting. Teresa Heinz and John Kerry got married on May 26, 1995, in Nantucket, Massachusetts.
Even after marrying John Kerry, Teresa kept her first husband's last name, Teresa Heinz. Besides her native language, Portuguese, she also speaks English, Spanish, French, and Italian. She is a Roman Catholic.
Health Challenges
In 2009, Teresa Heinz shared that she was getting treatment for a health challenge. In July 2013, she had a sudden health issue and was taken to the hospital. She recovered well after some time in the hospital and at home.
Helping Others: Philanthropy
Teresa Heinz is very active in giving back to the community. She leads the Heinz Endowments and the Heinz Family Philanthropies. These groups give money to many different social and environmental causes. She also helps the city of Pittsburgh, where the Heinz family has strong connections.
Because of her work to help others, Teresa Heinz has received special honors from many universities. She was also given the Albert Schweitzer Gold Medal for Humanitarianism in 2003, which is a big award for people who help humanity.
Environmental Work
Teresa Heinz has done a lot to help protect the environment.
- In 1990, she helped start a group to fight lead poisoning in children's homes.
- In 1992, she was a representative at the Earth Summit, a major international meeting about the environment.
- In 1993, she helped create Second Nature, a program that teaches about sustainability on college campuses.
- She also started the Heinz Awards, which give prizes to people who do great work, including in the environment.
- In 1995, she helped fund The Heinz Center, which works to improve environmental policy using science.
- Since 1996, she has hosted conferences about women's health and the environment.
- She also created the Teresa Heinz Scholars for Environmental Research. This program gives money to students who are doing research on environmental issues. She is also on the board of the Environmental Defense Fund, an environmental group.
Helping Women with Money Matters
Teresa Heinz has also worked to help women be more secure financially.
- In 1995, she supported a book about retirement savings, especially for women.
- She also created the Women's Retirement Initiative and the Women's Institute for a Secure Retirement (WISER). These groups help women understand and plan for their financial future, especially retirement.
Wealth and Politics
Teresa Heinz is estimated to be very wealthy. She and her husband, John Kerry, once listed a home for sale on Nantucket for $25 million.
For most of her life, Teresa Heinz was a member of the Republican Party. However, in 2003, she changed her political party to the Democratic Party, which is the same party as her husband, John Kerry.
She has a reputation for being a very direct and honest person when she speaks.
Images for kids
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Heinz in 2013
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Teresa Heinz Kerry and Secretary Kerry with her grandson
See also
In Spanish: Teresa Heinz Kerry para niños
