Humberto De la Calle
Encyclopedia
Humberto De la Calle Lombana (born on July 14, 1946 in Manzanares
, Caldas
) is a Colombia
n lawyer
and politician
. He served as Vice President of Colombia
from 1994 to 1997.
and later studied International Law in the Inter-American Judicial Committee in 1979.
in the universities of Caldas and Manizales until 1980. He also taught in prestigious universities from Bogotá
, such as Andes University
and Our Lady of the Rosary University
.
For almost a decade De la Calle served in the Judicial Branch
; he was appointed National Register of the Civil State
in the late 1980s during the administration of President Belisario Betancur
. In 1986 De la Calle also served as a magistrate
on the Supreme Court.
In 1990 he was appointed to the Ministry of Government
during the government of President
César Gaviria
until 1992. In 1993 followers of President Gaviria from the Liberal Party
suggest De la Calle as a possible presidential candidate. De la Calle quits his job as minister to pursue the presidency, but in the party primaries is defeated by Ernesto Samper
and Carlos Lemos Simmonds
. Samper then invites De la Calle to be his vice president
.
In the May primary election of and the June general election
of 1994 Samper and De la Calle were elected. De la Calle was then appointed as Ambassador to Spain
while still serving as vice president.
In 1996 with the outbreak of the 8000 Process scandal in which the Samper presidential campaign received millions of dollars from the Cali Cartel
, De la Calle's relationship with the government deteriorated to the point that De la Calle asked for the resignation of President Samper. In 1997 De la Calle finally resigned to his post as vice president.
De la Calle then allied with Andrés Pastrana, a conservative
and political foe of President Samper. In the 1998 elections Pastrana was elected president and appointed De la Ambassador to the United Kingdom
, office in which he served from 1998 to 2000. He was then appointed as Minister of the Interior
, office in which he served between the years 2000 and 2001.
From 2001 to 2003 De la Calle served as Colombia's Ambassador to the Organization of American States
(OAS). Since then De la Calle has been working in his own law firm with his associates Ignacio Londoño Rivera, José Miguel De la Calle Restrepo and Mario Posada García-Peña. The firm offers services on legal advice and legal representation in different law areas for Colombian nationals and international clients. He is also a regular columnist in the Bogotá daily El Espectador
.http://www.elespectador.com/ElEspectador/Secciones/Detalles.aspx?idNoticia=8943&idSeccion=25
Magazine articles
Manzanares, Caldas
Manzanares is a town and municipality in the Colombian Department of Caldas....
, Caldas
Caldas Department
Caldas is a department of Colombia named after Colombian patriotic figure Francisco José de Caldas. It's part of the Paisa Region and its capital is Manizales. The population of Caldas is 1,030,062, and its area is 7,291 km²...
) is 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 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 politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
. He served as Vice President of Colombia
Vice President of Colombia
The Vice President of Colombia is the first in the presidential line of succession, becoming the new President of Colombia upon leaves of absence or death, resignation, or removal of the President, as designated by the Colombian Constitution of 1991 which also reinstated the vice president figure...
from 1994 to 1997.
Education
De la Calle received his law degree from the University of CaldasUniversity of Caldas
The University of Caldas , is a public, coeducational, research university based in Manizales, Caldas, Colombia. It is the most important higher education institution in the Department of Caldas alongside the National University of Colombia. The university was created by ordinance No. 006 of May...
and later studied International Law in the Inter-American Judicial Committee in 1979.
Career
De la Calle became a professor while practicing his law profession under private law firms. He started teaching in 1978 and became DeanDean (education)
In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...
in the universities of Caldas and Manizales until 1980. He also taught in prestigious universities from 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...
, such as Andes University
University of the Andes, Colombia
The University of the Andes , is a coeducational, nonsectarian private university located in city centre Bogotá, Colombia. Founded in 1948, the University has 9 faculties: Administration, Architecture and Design, Arts and Humanities, Sciences, Social Sciences, Law, Economics, Engineering and...
and Our Lady of the Rosary University
Our Lady of the Rosary University
The Universidad del Rosario is a university originally founded on Roman Catholic principles, in 1653 by Fray Cristobal de Torres. Located in Bogotá, Colombia, due to its important place in Colombian history, it is known as "The Cradle of the Republic". It had also a primary and secundary school...
.
For almost a decade De la Calle served in the Judicial Branch
Judicial Branch of Colombia
Judicial Branch of Government of Colombia is the system of courts in Republic of Colombia which administer justice in the name of the state as a mechanism for the resolution of disputes. The judicial branch encompasses judges, magistrates and other adjudicators who form the core of a judiciary, as...
; he was appointed National Register of the Civil State
Registraduría Nacional del Estado Civil
The Registraduria Nacional del Estado Civil is the organization in charge of all citizens papers in Colombia.Colombian citizens obtain their ID , to be able to vote, and also do all the permits tramits. Their headquarters are located in Bogotá. The current manager of the office is Juan Carlos Galindo...
in the late 1980s during the administration of President 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 :...
. In 1986 De la Calle also served as a magistrate
Associate Justice
Associate Justice or Associate Judge is the title for a member of a judicial panel who is not the Chief Justice in some jurisdictions. The title "Associate Justice" is used for members of the United States Supreme Court and some state supreme courts, and for some other courts in Commonwealth...
on the Supreme Court.
In 1990 he was appointed to the Ministry of Government
Ministry of the Interior and Justice
The Ministry of the Interior and Justice , is the national executive ministry of the Government of Colombia responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice and interior ministries of other countries....
during the government of President
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"...
César Gaviria
César Gaviria
César Gaviria Trujillo is a Colombian politician and a Latin American statesman. He served as President of Colombia from 1990 to 1994, and Secretary General of the Organization of American States from 1994 until 2004.-Early life:...
until 1992. In 1993 followers of President Gaviria from 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...
suggest De la Calle as a possible presidential candidate. De la Calle quits his job as minister to pursue the presidency, but in the party primaries is defeated by Ernesto Samper
Ernesto Samper
Ernesto Samper Pizano is a Colombian politician. He served as the President of Colombia from August 7, 1994 to August 7, 1998, representing the Liberal Party. He was involved in the 8000 process scandal, which takes its name from the folio number assigned to it by the chief prosecutor's office...
and Carlos Lemos Simmonds
Carlos Lemos Simmonds
Carlos Apolinar Lemos Simmonds was a Colombian politician and journalist that served as President and Vice President of Colombia in 1997...
. Samper then invites De la Calle to be his vice president
Vice President of Colombia
The Vice President of Colombia is the first in the presidential line of succession, becoming the new President of Colombia upon leaves of absence or death, resignation, or removal of the President, as designated by the Colombian Constitution of 1991 which also reinstated the vice president figure...
.
In the May primary election of and the June general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
of 1994 Samper and De la Calle were elected. De la Calle was then appointed as Ambassador to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
while still serving as vice president.
In 1996 with the outbreak of the 8000 Process scandal in which the Samper presidential campaign received millions of dollars from the Cali Cartel
Cali Cartel
The Cali Cartel was a drug cartel based in southern Colombia, around the city of Cali and the Valle del Cauca Department. The Cali Cartel was founded by the Rodríguez Orejuela brothers, Gilberto and Miguel, as well as associate José Santacruz Londoño...
, De la Calle's relationship with the government deteriorated to the point that De la Calle asked for the resignation of President Samper. In 1997 De la Calle finally resigned to his post as vice president.
De la Calle then allied with Andrés Pastrana, a conservative
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...
and political foe of President Samper. In the 1998 elections Pastrana was elected president and appointed De la Ambassador to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, office in which he served from 1998 to 2000. He was then appointed as Minister of the Interior
Ministry of the Interior and Justice
The Ministry of the Interior and Justice , is the national executive ministry of the Government of Colombia responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice and interior ministries of other countries....
, office in which he served between the years 2000 and 2001.
From 2001 to 2003 De la Calle served as Colombia's Ambassador to the Organization of American States
Organization of American States
The Organization of American States is a regional international organization, headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States...
(OAS). Since then De la Calle has been working in his own law firm with his associates Ignacio Londoño Rivera, José Miguel De la Calle Restrepo and Mario Posada García-Peña. The firm offers services on legal advice and legal representation in different law areas for Colombian nationals and international clients. He is also a regular columnist in the Bogotá daily El Espectador
El Espectador
El Espectador is a newspaper with national circulation within Colombia, founded by Fidel Cano Gutiérrez on 22 March 1887 in Medellín and published since 1915 in Bogotá...
.http://www.elespectador.com/ElEspectador/Secciones/Detalles.aspx?idNoticia=8943&idSeccion=25
Published work
Books- La Acción Cambiaria. Editorial Dike. (The Exchange Stock)
- La inoperancia del negocio jurídico. Editorial Temis. (The Inopperativeness of the Judicial Business)
- Anatomía del Cambio -de los sesenta al siglo 21-. Editorial Planeta. (Anatomy of Change)
- En defensa de la Descentralización. (Defending Decentralization)
- Código Electoral Comentado. Editorial Legis. (Commented Electoral Code)
- Intervenciones en la Asamblea Constituyente de 1991 como Ministerio de Gobierno. (Interventions as Minister of Government in the Constituent Assembly of ColombiaConstituent Assembly of ColombiaThe Constituent Assembly of Colombia was formed on February 5, 1991, to draft Colombia's 1991 constitution. It was dissolved in June 1991, after the new document was adopted nationwide.-Background:...
) - Carta Democrática Interamericana –Documentos e Interpretaciones- OEA. . (Inter-American Democratic Charter-Document and Interpretations- OAS. (editor and author of the chapter on Colombia))
Magazine articles
- La inexistencia (en el campo jurídico). Revista de Derecho Comercial. (The Unexistance (in the judicial field)
- Contrato de Seguros y Desvalorización Monetaria. Derecho Colombiano. (Insurance contracts and Monetary devaluation. Second Semester of 1981)
- Buena fe y buena fe exenta de culpa en materia cambiaria. Derecho Colombiano. Segundo Semestre de 1983. (Good Faith and Good Faith Exempt from Culpability in Exchange Matters)
- Títulos Valores. Revista de la Cámara de Comercio de Manizales. (Securities. Manizales Chamber of Commerce Magazine)
- La Constitución y el manejo del Orden Público. Revista de la Universidad de los Andes. (The Constitution and the Handling of Public Order)
- The Nature of Public, Private and Mixed Financing. In Financing Democracies in Latin America. The Carter CenterCarter CenterThe Carter Center is a nongovernmental, not-for-profit organization founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn Carter. In partnership with Emory University, The Carter Center works to advance human rights and alleviate human suffering...
. March 2003. - Transparency and accountability in Colombia. In Public Sector Transparency and Accountability. OECD. OEA. 2002.
- Los Partidos Políticos en América Latina. En Dinero y Contienda Política-electoral. IFE. Méjico. 2001. (The Political Parties in Latin America. Money and Electoral-Political Contendents)
- Financiación de los Partidos Políticos y las Campañas Electorales en Colombia. En La financiación de la política en Iberoamérica. IIDH. CAPEL. (Political Parties and Electoral Campaigns Financing in Colombia. On the Financing of Politics in Latin America)