When she was first introduced to the world of Florida politics in January 1967, she was known simply as “Madame X.”
A statuesque blond, the mystery woman dancing with the newly inaugurated Gov. Claude Kirk caused quite a stir. For days leading up to the inauguration, Kirk had teased reporters that they would meet “his beloved” at his Inaugural Ball.
That woman was Erika Mattfeld, a German national from Brazil who had recently met Kirk on a blind date when he visited the South American country on business.
The struck up a correspondence, and within the next month and half, the pair would be married — a marriage that took them through four years in the Governor’s Mansion, a decades-long residence in Palm Beach County, a growing family and many more adventures, family said.
Erika Mattfeld Kirk, the former first lady of Florida to Gov. Claude Kirk from 1967-1971, died April 26 at age 88 at Lourdes Noreen McKeen in West Palm Beach.
She was preceded in death by her husband, who died in 2011.
Erika Mattfeld Kirk’s life before becoming first lady of Florida to Gov. Claude Kirk
Erika Kirk was born Erika Carola Mattfeld on July 7, 1934, in Bremen, Germany. She was the third of five children, born into a tumultuous world. Her mother died of tuberculosis when Erika was just 2 years old, and the toddler was sent to live elsewhere, one of two times she would be sent away to live with another family as war shook Germany, said Claudia Kirk Barto, one of Mrs. Kirk’s daughters.
She completed school at age 14 and moved to Zurich, Switzerland, where she worked in a chocolate shop until she met and fell head-over-heels for Brazilian actor Carlos Eduardo Dolabella. Mrs. Kirk moved to Rio de Janeiro to be with Dolabella. Together, they had a daughter, Adriana, before their marriage ended.
Erika Mattfeld Kirk with her children Claudia, Erik and Adriana.
Soon after, a friend arranged a blind date between Mrs. Kirk and the future governor. The night of Kirk’s election win in 1966, Erika came to the United States “not even having known that my dad was running for office,” Barto said. “She did not speak a word of English, and she had some sort of stomach bug, so she spent the night of the election in the hospital.”
The Kirk’s Palm Beach wedding a major production with national interest
Two months later, as the couple danced at the governor’s inaugural ball, she “had no idea what she was getting into,” Barto said, adding, “She always smiled, but I think she just smiled because she couldn’t speak English yet. She learned to speak English here. She learned to drive a car here — the highway patrol taught her to drive a car.”
The Kirks’ wedding was a major production with national interest, on par with other celebrity weddings of the time. In a video produced by the Florida Development Commission, the Kirks are seen celebrating first at a Feb. 17, 1967, pre-wedding dinner party in Palm Beach, the bride dressed in an elegant white gown with black details, white gloves and shimmering drop earrings. Cameras flashed as the couple greeted guests and smiled for reporters.
The following day, Feb. 18, 1967, the couple attended a morning church service at the Episcopal Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea on the island. They walked arm-in-arm into the sanctuary, accompanied by the governor’s twin sons, Frank and Will, and flanked by Florida Highway Patrol officers. Erika wore a green and white skirt suit with a delicate lace veil over her head.
Erik Kirk, Adriana Dolabella, Erika Kirk, and Claudia Kirk
“I think it was low-key because they were both divorced, and they couldn’t get married in the church,” said Barto, who recently found a VHS copy of the wedding video while moving.
In the video, reporters crowded outside the church for photos of the couple, with officers stopping traffic as onlookers lined the street.
The Kirks then made the short drive to The Breakers, where they were married by a judge and had their wedding reception. Erika wore orange blossoms, Florida’s state flower, in her hair.
Erika and Claude both were married before: She to Dolabella, he to the same woman, twice. At the time of their wedding, Erika had her daughter, Adriana, and Claude had four children, Sarah, Katherine, Will and Frank. The couple would have two more children: Claudia and Erik.
Gov. Claude Kirk and Erika Mattfeld Kirk’s life in Palm Beach
