Alfonso López Michelsen
Encyclopedia
Alfonso López Michelsen (June 30, 1913 - July 11, 2007) was a Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...

n politician
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...

, lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...

 and journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...

. Lopez Michelsen was President of Colombia
President of Colombia
The President of Colombia is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Colombia. The office of president was established upon the ratification of the Constitution of 1819, by the Congress of Angostura, convened in December 1819, when Colombia was part of "la Gran Colombia"...

 from 1974 to 1978. He was the son of Alfonso López Pumarejo
Alfonso López Pumarejo
Alfonso López Pumarejo was a two-time Colombian president and political figure, as a member of the Colombian Liberal Party. He served as president of Colombia for the first time between 1934 and 1938 and again between 1942 and 1945....

, who was also president of Colombia from 1934 to 1938, and once again from 1942 to 1945. He died in Bogotá during the early hours of July 11, 2007 of a heart attack.

Early years

López was the son of former two time president of Colombia
President of Colombia
The President of Colombia is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Colombia. The office of president was established upon the ratification of the Constitution of 1819, by the Congress of Angostura, convened in December 1819, when Colombia was part of "la Gran Colombia"...

, Alfonso López Pumarejo
Alfonso López Pumarejo
Alfonso López Pumarejo was a two-time Colombian president and political figure, as a member of the Colombian Liberal Party. He served as president of Colombia for the first time between 1934 and 1938 and again between 1942 and 1945....

. He was born and raised in Bogotá
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...

. He studied at the Gimnasio Moderno School
Gimnasio Moderno
The Gimnasio Moderno is a private all-male traditional and liberal, primary and secondary school located in Bogotá, Colombia. It was founded in 1914 by various prestigious Colombians following the leading initiative of Don Agustín Nieto Caballero...

 and later in other cities; Paris, Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...

, London and Santiago de Chile. He graduated with a degree in law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...

 from the Universidad del Rosario.

During his father's presidency, López maintained a low profile in politics and instead focused on becoming a university professor at the Universidad del Rosario. http://www.elespectador.com/elespectador/Secciones/Detalles.aspx?idNoticia=12208&idSeccion=21

In 1938, López married Cecilia Caballero Blanco in Bogotá. They moved to the outskirts of Bogotá
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...

 in a hacienda
Hacienda
Hacienda is a Spanish word for an estate. Some haciendas were plantations, mines, or even business factories. Many haciendas combined these productive activities...

in the then municipality
Municipalities of Colombia
The Municipalities of Colombia are decentralized subdivisions of the Republic of Colombia. Municipalities make up most of the departments of Colombia with 1,119 municipalities...

 of Engativá
Engativá
Engativá, which translates to Chieftain of Inga, was a municipality of Cundinamarca, but became a locality of Bogotá, Colombia when Bogotá was made "Special District" .-Geographical location:...

, Cundinamarca Department
Cundinamarca Department
- Origin of the name :The name of Cundinamarca comes from Kundur marqa, an indigenous expression, probably derived from Quechua. Meaning "Condor's Nest", it was used in pre-Columbian times by the natives of the Magdalena Valley to refer to the nearby highlands....

 (nowadays a Locality of Bogotá). Settled in this town, López had his first experience with politics becoming a town councilman. During this time, his fellow councilmen included Álvaro Gómez Hurtado
Álvaro Gómez Hurtado
Álvaro Gómez Hurtado was a Colombian lawyer, politician, journalist and active member of the Colombian Conservative Party. Gómez was a son of the former President of Colombia, Laureano Gómez...

 and Julio César Turbay Ayala
Julio César Turbay Ayala
Julio César Turbay Ayala was a Colombian politician, member of the Colombian Liberal Party, elected president of the Senate of Colombia and and, was president of Colombia from 1978 to 1982.- Biographic data :...


Political career

In 1959, a group of his former students founded the Liberal Revolutionary Movement (MRL) as a reaction to the pact between his party, the Liberal Party
Colombian Liberal Party
The Colombian Liberal Party is a center-left party in Colombia that adheres to social democracy and social liberalism.The Party was founded in 1848 and, together with the Colombian Conservative Party, subsequently became one of the two main political forces in the country for over a century.After...

 and the Conservative Party
Colombian Conservative Party
The Colombian Conservative Party , is a conservative political party in Colombia. The party was unofficially founded by a group of Revolutionary Commoners during the Revolutionary War for Independence from the Spanish Monarchy and later formally established during the Greater Colombia...

 to create the National Front
National Front (Colombia)
National Front was a period in the history of Colombia in which the two main political parties; Liberal Party and Conservative Party agreed to let the opposite party govern, intercalating for a period of four presidential terms....

. Lopez Michelsen was then offered the leadership of the newly created MRL and he accepted becoming a presidential candidate for the 1962 presidential elections. López lost the election by a large margin to Conservative candidate Guillermo León Valencia
Guillermo León Valencia
Guillermo León Valencia Muñóz was a Colombian lawyer and statesman, who served as President of Colombia from August 7, 1962 to August 7, 1966.-Personal life:...

.

Governor of the Department of Cesar (1967-1968)

In 1966, López was elected as a senator
Senate of Colombia
The Senate of the Republic of Colombia is the upper house of the Congress of Colombia, with the lower house being the Chamber of Representatives of Colombia...

 and negotiated the return of the MRL to the Liberal Party in 1967. This same year López traveled to the city of Valledupar
Valledupar
Valledupar is a city and municipality in northeastern Colombia. It is the capital of Cesar Department and was founded in 1550 by the Spanish conquistador Hernando de Santana. Its name, Valle de Upar , was established in honor of the Amerindian cacique who ruled the valley; Cacique Upar...

 after being appointed by President Carlos Lleras Restrepo
Carlos Lleras Restrepo
Carlos Lleras Restrepo was a Colombian lawyer and political figure, President of Colombia .- Biographic data :...

 as the first governor of Cesar Department
Cesar Department
Cesar Department or simply Cesar is a department of Colombia located in the north of the country in the Caribbean region, bordering to the north with the Department of La Guajira, to the west with the Department of Magdalena and Department of Bolivar, to the south with Department of Santander, to...

, a newly created province in the northern Caribbean Region
Caribbean Region
The Caribbean Region or Caribbean Coast Region is a natural region of Colombia mainly composed of eight Departments located contiguous to the Caribbean. The area covers a total land area of including the San Andres Island Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina in the Caribbean...

 of Colombia. López traced his grandmothers' family ancestors from this town "the Pumarejos". During those years, he also helped to create the Vallenato Legend Festival
Vallenato Legend Festival
The Vallenato Legend Festival is one of the most important musical festivals in Colombia. The Festival features a vallenato music contests for best interpreter of accordion, caja vallenata and guacharaca, as well as piqueria and best song...

 (now one of the most important Colombian cultural events) along with vallenato
Vallenato
Vallenato, along with cumbia, is currently a popular folk music of Colombia. It primarily comes from the Colombia's Caribbean region. Vallenato literally means "born in the valley". The valley influencing this name is located between the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and the Serranía de Perijá in...

 composer Rafael Escalona
Rafael Escalona
Rafael Calixto Escalona Martinez was a Colombian composer and troubadour. He was known for being one of the most prominent vallenato music composers and troubadours of the genre and for being the co-founder of the Vallenato Legend Festival, along with Consuelo Araújo and Alfonso López Michelsen.He...

 and journalist Consuelo Araújo. He served as governor of Cesar from December 21, 1967 until August 14, 1968.

Cabinet

  • Secretary of Government: Luis Roberto García
    Luis Roberto García
    Luis Roberto García Díaz-Granados was a Colombian politician and two time Governor of the Department of Cesar. He also served as Viceminister of Labor and Social Safety under the administration of President Julio César Turbay Ayala.-Governor of Cesar:...

  • Secretary of Development: Alvaro Pupo Pupo
  • Administrative Office Chief: Alvaro Araujo Noguera
  • Chief of Planning: Jorge Chaild Velez
  • Chief of Education: Cesar Fernandez Dager
  • Chief of Agricultural Sector: Hernan Osorio
  • Chief of Public Works: Emiro Alfonso Zuleta
  • Chief of Budget and Accountability: Teobaldo Manjarrez
  • Chief of General Services: Damazo Lora
  • Chief of Personnel: Jorge Gomez
  • Chief of Judicial Bureau: Uribe Habid Molina
  • Administrator of Rents: Diomedes Daza Daza
  • Private Secretary: Cesar Escobar Ortega
  • Chief of Public Relations: Rafael Escalona
    Rafael Escalona
    Rafael Calixto Escalona Martinez was a Colombian composer and troubadour. He was known for being one of the most prominent vallenato music composers and troubadours of the genre and for being the co-founder of the Vallenato Legend Festival, along with Consuelo Araújo and Alfonso López Michelsen.He...


Minister of Foreign Affairs

A year later, he was then appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Colombia)
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also known as the Chancellery, is the national executive ministry of the Government of Colombia responsible for the foreign relations of Colombia through its diplomatic missions abroad by formulating foreign policy relevant to the matters of the State, it is...

 until the presidential term of President Carlos Lleras Restrepo ended in 1970.

Presidency (1974-1978)

In 1974, López was selected by the Liberal Party in as their candidate for president after defeating former president Carlos Lleras Restrepo in the party presidential primaries with the support of former candidate Julio César Turbay. He won the general election by a large margin against the Conservative Party candidate Álvaro Gómez Hurtado
Álvaro Gómez Hurtado
Álvaro Gómez Hurtado was a Colombian lawyer, politician, journalist and active member of the Colombian Conservative Party. Gómez was a son of the former President of Colombia, Laureano Gómez...

 and the ANAPO candidate, María Eugenia Rojas.

In his inaugural speech on August 7, 1974, López was mostly remembered for calling the border disputed area in the Gulf of Venezuela
Gulf of Venezuela
The Gulf of Venezuela is a gulf of the Caribbean Sea bounded by the Venezuelan states of Zulia and Falcón and by Guajira Department, Colombia...

 by its native name "Gulf of Coquibacoa" given by the wayuu
Wayuu
Wayuu is an Amerindian ethnic group of the La Guajira Peninsula in northern Colombia and northwest Venezuela. They are part of the Maipurean language family.- Geography :...

s. On September 14, 1977 in Bogotá a bloody riot started in all sections of the city, the riot was called The National Civic Strike. The motivations were in the situation of food shortage that field, the high unemployment figures and the negative the government of President López to negotiate the labor contract documents. The September 14 were work stoppages of oil workers, Cement, of Palma and teachers who opposed the deployment status of teaching led by the Minister Hernando Durán Dussán
Hernando Durán Dussán
Hernando Durán Dussán was a Colombian lawyer and politician. He was the Mayor of Bogotá and a candidate for the Presidency in 1990.-Biography:Durán Dussán was born in Bogotá in 1920, of Huilan ancestry...

. In the support of the strike converged sectors of the left: the Communist Party, and MOIR Revolutionary Socialist Union with the industry Ospino Pastrana's Conservative Party, a strange confluence only be explained by the new scenario national front post. The two days riot left a death toll of 80 people, and 2000 people injured.

Post presidency

Upon the end of his term in 1978, he again became the leader of Liberal Party. He ran for president again in 1982, but was defeated by the Conservative Party candidate, Belisario Betancur
Belisario Betancur
Belisario Betancur Cuartas is a Colombian statesman, who as a member of the Colombian Conservative Party was President of Colombia from 1982 to 1986.- Biographic data :...

.

He continued to actively participate in the decision making of the Liberal Party until the early 1990s when he decided to withdraw from political activity. He was a regular columnist for the Colombian newspaper El Tiempo which drew attention to many critical issues. For this reason he was called "el hombre que pone a pensar al pais" (Spanish for "The man who made the country think") http://www.elespectador.com/elespectador/Secciones/Detalles.aspx?idNoticia=12208&idSeccion=21

In 2006, he returned to political life after the Liberal Party went through a crisis after the elections of that year, which despite finishing in third place in the presidential election
Colombian presidential election, 2006
The 2006 Colombian presidential election was held on 28 May 2006. Álvaro Uribe was re-elected as President of the Republic and will serve another four-year term, starting on 7 August 2006...

 and losing seats in Congress
Colombian legislative election, 2006
On March 12, 2006 Colombians went to the polls to elect Senate and Chamber of Representatives. Presidential primaries were also held for the Liberal Party and the Alternative Democratic Pole.-Senate Members:...

, still represented a decisive political force in the Colombian congress
Congress of Colombia
The Congress of the Republic of Colombia is the name given to Colombia's bicameral national legislature.The Congress of Colombia consists of the 102-seat Senate , and the 166-seat Chamber of Representatives ...

.

Lopez Michelsen died in Bogotá on July 11, 2007 after suffering a heart attack. http://www.eltiempo.com/politica/2007-07-11/ARTICULO-WEB-NOTA_INTERIOR-3633513.html
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