Belisario Betancur
President of Colombia from 1982 to 1986
Belisario Betancur Cuartas (4 February 1923 – 7 December 2018) was a Colombian politician who served as the 27th President of Colombia from 1982 to 1986. He was a member of the Colombian Conservative Party.2
From Wikipedia’s article on Belisario Betancur (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.
Born Feb 4, 1923, died Dec 7, 2018.1
About
His presidency was noted for its attempted peace talks with several Colombian guerrilla groups. He was also one of the few presidents to abstain from participating in politics after leaving office.
From Wikipedia’s article on Belisario Betancur, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.2
Early life and education
- Date not recordedPontifical Bolivarian University3
Betancur was born in the Morro de la Paila district of the town of Amagá, Antioquia, in 1923. His parents were Rosendo Betancur, a blue-collar worker, and Ana Otilia Cuartas, a businesswoman. Betancur's mother died in 1950. He was of French descent.
Betancur traveled to the city of Medellín, where he enrolled in the Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana. In 1955, Betancur graduated in jurisprudence and obtained a degree in law and economics.
From Wikipedia’s article on Belisario Betancur (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.
Career
Occupation: politician, writer, lawyer, diplomat, journalist, playwright, jurist, narrator.7
Personal life
- BornFeb 4, 1923, Amagá8
- DiedDec 7, 2018, Bogotá9 10
- CitizenshipColombia, Spain11
- SpouseRosa Helena Álvarez Yepes12
In 1946, Betancur married Rosa Helena Álvarez Yepes. Together, they had three children including diplomat Diego Betancur Álvarez. Álvarez Yepes died in 1998. In October 2000, Betancur married Dalia Rafaela Navarro Palmar.
From Wikipedia’s article on Belisario Betancur (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.
Politics
Betancur began his political career as a deputy in the Antioquia Departmental Assembly, where he served from 1945 to 1947. He served as a Representative to the National Chamber for the departments of Cundinamarca and Antioquia, and was a member of the National Constituent Assembly from 1953 to 1957.
Betancur was the Minister of Labor in 1963 and Ambassador to Spain from 1975 to 1977.
He ran for president as an independent Conservative candidate in the election of 1970, coming in third. He again ran as the official Conservative candidate in the election of 1978, but was defeated by Julio César Turbay Ayala.
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Presidency
Betancur was finally elected President in 1982 and served until 1986. As President, he helped found the Contadora Group to bring about peace in Central America, began democratic reforms by incorporating the principal armed movements into civil life, promoted low-cost housing and open universities, began a literacy campaign and endorsed tax amnesty.
During his term, the government approved the mayoral election law, municipal and departmental reforms, judicial and congressional reforms, the television statute, the national holiday law, and the new Código Contencioso Administrativo. His administration began the exploration and export of coal in the Cerrejón North region and the broadcast of the regional television channels Teleantioquia and Telecaribe.
Betancur was also noted for his attempts to bring peace to his country. During his administration he initiated peace talks with several Colombian guerrilla groups. The controversial Palace of Justice siege occurred in late 1985, less than a year before the end of his presidential term.
He was president during the 1985 eruption of Nevado del Ruiz, which killed over 20,000 people.
Post-presidency
Betancur retired from politics after he left office in 1986.
Betancur was an Honorary Member of the Club of Rome for Latin America, Chairman of the Truth Commission for El Salvador, and President of the Santillana for Latin America Foundation in Bogotá. He also was a founding member of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences.
From Wikipedia’s article on Belisario Betancur (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.
Awards
Links
Sources
The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.
- 1WikidataBelisario Betancur on Wikidata
- 2WikipediaBelisario Betancur on Wikipedia
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- 14Wikimedia CommonsBelisario Betancur photo by Ronald Reagan Library, Public domain