Carlos Lleras Restrepo

Carlos Alberto Lleras Restrepo (12 April 1908 – 27 September 1994) was a Colombian politician and lawyer who served the 22nd President of Colombia from 1966 to 1970.

Carlos Lleras Restrepo
22nd President of Colombia
In office 7 August 1966 – 7 August 1970
Preceded by	Guillermo León Valencia
Succeeded by	Misael Pastrana Borrero
23rd Minister of Finance and Public Credit of Colombia
In office 8 October 1943 – 6 March 1944
President	Alfonso López Pumarejo
Preceded by	Arcesio Londoño Palacio
Succeeded by	Gonzalo Restrepo Jaramillo
20th Minister of Finance and Public Credit of Colombia
In office 26 August 1941 – 7 August 1942
President	Eduardo Santos Montejo
Preceded by	Gonzalo Restrepo Jaramillo
Succeeded by	Alfonso Araújo Gaviria
18th Minister of Finance and Public Credit of Colombia
In office 7 August 1938 – 24 March 1941
President	Eduardo Santos Montejo
Preceded by	Héctor José Vargas
Succeeded by	Gonzalo Restrepo Jaramillo
Personal details
Born	12 April 1908 Bogotá, D.C., Colombia
Died	27 September 1994 (aged 86) Bogotá, D.C., Colombia
Cause of death	Respiratory failure [1]
Nationality	Colombian
Political party	Liberal
Spouse(s)	Cecilia de la Fuente Cortés (1933–1994) (1913–2004)
Children	Clemencia Lleras de la Fuente Carlos Lleras de la Fuente María Inés Lleras de la Fuente Fernando Lleras de la Fuente
Alma mater	National University of Colombia (LLD, 1930)
Profession	Lawyer

Biographic data

Lleras was born in Bogotá, on 12 April 1908.[2] He was the third son of the doctor physician and researcher, Federico Lleras and Amalia Restrepo. He died in Bogotá, on 27 September 1994.

Early life

Lleras studied in La Salle Institute in Bogotá and later studied jurisprudence at Universidad Nacional de Colombia. He obtained his Law degree in 1930.[2] He was also a member of Phi Iota Alpha, the oldest inter-collegiate Greek-letter organization for international Latin American students.

Private life

Lleras was a cousin of Alberto Lleras Camargo, another important Colombian politician and President of Colombia. He was married to Cecilia de la Fuente, with who he had three children. German Vargas Lleras is his grandson.

Political career

With United States President Richard Nixon at Restrepo's arrival ceremony on July 12, 1969.

Restrepo and Cecelia, with Richard and Pat Nixon, at the July 12 arrival ceremony.

Lleras became involved in politics at an early age. In 1929, he was elected by the liberal party as delegate to the National Convention of Apulo. By age 21 he was a member in the national committee of the Colombian Liberal Party. Lleras was elected to the state senate of Cundinamarca, and later MP as congressman in the House of Representatives.[3]

In 1932, during the so-called “Liberal Republic”, Lleras was appointed General Comptroller of the country and in 1938 he was appointed as Minister of Finance (Ministro de Hacienda) during the presidency of Eduardo Santos. He was elected as Chairman of the Liberal Party several times and Senator of the Republic.[3]

Lleras ran for president of Colombia for the first time in 1944, but his bid was unsuccessful. On 27 November 1965, he accepted the nomination of the liberal party, and received the endorsement of the conservative party. This made him the official candidate of the “National Front”, and he won the election in 1966.[3]

After the presidency, Lleras founded and produced the political magazine “Nueva Frontera”.[4]

The presidency

Lleras was inaugurated as President of Colombia on 7 August 1966, and called his administration "the era of national transformation" ("Transformación Nacional").[3]

During his administration, the Colombian Institute for Agrarian Reform (INCORA) promoted the redistribution of usable land to the peasants and unemployed workers in the country, issuing more than 60,000 titles in 1968 and 1969 alone.

Lleras implemented an aggressive and broad program of social and economic reforms and created the following agencies and institutions: the national savings fund (“Fondo Nacional del Ahorro”); the Colombian Institute for the family wellbeing (“Instituto Colombiano de Bienestar Familiar”); the institute to protect non renewable resources (“Instituto de Recursos Naturales no Renovables”); the agency to promote exports (“Fondo de Promoción de Exportaciones” ‘PROEXPO’); the national agency of Colombian culture (“Instituto Colombiano de Cultura” ‘Colcultura’); the national agency for the construction of schools (“Instituto Colombiano de Construcciones Escolares” ‘Icce’); and the national institution to promote and finance superior education (“Instituto Colombiano para el Fomento de la Educación Superior” ‘Icfes’).[4]

References

1. https://www.nytimes.com/1994/09/28/obituaries/carlos-lleras-restrepo-86-pressed-latin-american-unity.html
2. Arismendi Posada, Ignacio; Gobernantes Colombianos; trans. Colombian Presidents; Interprint Editors Ltd., Italgraf, Segunda Edición; Page 235; Bogotá, Colombia; 1983
3. Arismendi Posada, Ignacio; Gobernantes Colombianos; (Colombian Presidents); Interprint Editors Ltd., Italgraf, Segunda Edición; Page 236; Bogotá, Colombia; 1983
4. Arismendi Posada, Ignacio; Gobernantes Colombianos; trans. Colombian Presidents; Interprint Editors Ltd., Italgraf, Segunda Edición; Page 239; Bogotá, Colombia; 1983