- Born
- Birth nameVaira Vike
- Nicknames
- Tante
- VVF
- Vaira Vike-Freiberga was born on November 1, 1937 in Riga, Latvia. She has been married to Imats Freibergs since 1960. They have two children.
- SpouseImats Freibergs(1960 - present) (2 children)
- She studied psychology at the University of Toronto, and earned a PhD. While there, she met her future husband, Imants Freibergs, another Latvian exile. She was on the faculty of the University of Montreal for 33 years, became fluent in five languages, and wrote 10 books.
- In 1998, the prime minister of Latvia asked her to lead a new Latvian Institute, needing someone who was multilingual, versed in Western culture, but with a strong understanding of Latvian culture. She gave up her Canadian citizenship to run for election. Eight months after returning to her native country, she became Latvia's first female president. She was influential in Latvia joining both Nato and the European Union.
- During WWII, her family fled Latvia, ending up in refugee camps in Germany and French Morocco, and eventually settling in Canada. She did not return to Latvia until 1998.
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