Twice President of Colombia, Director General of the Pan American Union, and Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Alberto Lleras Camargo (1906-1990) was a journalist and statesman. He spent most of his life in search of peaceful solutions to the problems of Latin America and his native land.
Alberto Lleras Camargo He was born into a prominent family, in Bogotá, Colombia, on July 3, 1906. When he was 11 years old, his father died, leaving the family without money. With the help of an older brother, he was able to complete high school at a military academy. He entered the Faculty of Law and Political Sciences of the National University of Bogotá, but dropped out.
After working in some newspapers in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Lleras returned home in 1930 to become editor of the main liberal newspaper in Bogotá, Time. His wit and concise writing style soon made him one of the most popular journalists in the country.
In 1931 he was elected a member of the Chamber of Deputies and became its spokesperson in 1931 and 1933. When his former partner, Dr. Alfonso López, became president of Colombia in 1934, You will he was appointed as its general secretary. The following year, he was appointed Minister of the Government at the age of 29, being the youngest man in the history of the country to hold that position.
You will stayed in government until 1938 and then founded The Liberal, the second most important newspaper in Bogotá. After another term in the Chamber of Deputies, he was elected to the Senate in 1943 and was appointed ambassador to the United States. His role in the US was short-lived. He retired after only a few months to serve once more as Minister of the Government. In 1945 he led the Colombian delegation to San Francisco for the signing of the United Nations Charter.
Unexpectedly, in July 1945, President López resigned, as did his two vice presidents. You will He was elected to complete the mandate, becoming at 39 one of the youngest heads of state in the world. When his term expired, he returned to journalism and founded Week, a news magazine.
In 1947 he became director general of the Pan American Union, the first South American to hold that position. The following year, the Union was reorganized as the Organization of American States (OAS), and You will his secretary general was appointed.
Back in Colombia, he became president of the Universidad de los Andes in 1954 and then resumed his job at the newspaper. A military dictatorship had already assumed control of the country. You will became the head of the liberal party, and in July 1956 he met with the conservative exile Laureano Gómez in Spain to negotiate the Benidorm Pact, which advocated the fight against the dictatorship and committed both parties to a prolonged period of cooperation. bipartisan.
On July 20, 1957, after the collapse of the dictatorship, Gómez and You will signed the Declaration of Sitges, creating a constitutional review system to organize Colombia from 1958 to 1974. Among its main provisions was the equitable distribution of the seats in Congress, in the administration and in diplomacy, and the presidencies of four alternate years between conservatives and liberals for the next 16 years.
As the main architect of the National Front, which emerged from these agreements, You will He was appointed President of Colombia on August 7, 1958. He guided the country towards economic recovery from the fiscal excesses of the dictatorship period. He carried out moderate socio-economic policies, presented an austerity program, the imports committed to public works were drastically reduced, and he organized national planning for all government areas. Emphasizing friendly ties with the United States, he was able to bring US technical assistance to the country.
Out of office in 1962, because constitutionally he could not continue, You will returned to journalism once again. He became president of View, a news magazine.
In 1931 You will he had married Berta Puga, the daughter of a former Chilean president. The couple had three daughters and a son.
Holder of many honorary degrees from universities in Latin America and the United States, including Harvard and Yale, You will he was also an honorary colonel in the Colombian army. He lived in Bogotá until his death on January 4, 1990.