Hartini

Overview

Siti Suhartini, better known as Hartini and also known as Hartini Sukarno, was the fourth wife of President Sukarno of Indonesia. Born to a forestry worker in Ponorogo, Hartini was married in her youth to a man named Suwondo, with whom she had five children. She met Sukarno in 1952, and after exchanging a series of pseudonymous love letters and receiving the blessings of his first wife Fatmawati, the two were married on 7 July 1953. Their union faced outrage, including protests from pro-monogamy women's organizations. Hartini was required to live at the Presidential Palace in Bogor rather than the main palace in Jakarta and was not recognized as first lady.