Belisario Betancur
| Belisario Betancur Cuartas | |
|---|---|
Betancur in 2009.
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| 26th President of Colombia | |
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In office 7 August 1982 – 7 August 1986 |
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| Preceded by | Julio César Turbay Ayala |
| Succeeded by | Virgilio Barco Vargas |
| Colombia Ambassador to Spain | |
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In office 16 December 1975 – January 1977 |
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| President | Alfonso López Michelsen |
| Preceded by | Álvaro Lloreda Caicedo |
| Succeeded by | Samuel Hoyos Arango |
| Minister of Labour of Colombia | |
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In office 7 August 1962 – 23 April 1963 |
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| President | Guillermo León Valencia |
| Preceded by | Juan Benavides Patron |
| Succeeded by | Castor Jaramillo Arrubla |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
4 February 1923 Amagá, Antioquia, Colombia |
| Nationality | Colombian |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse(s) |
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| Children |
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| Alma mater | Pontifical Bolivarian University (JD, 1955) |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Belisario Betancur Cuartas (born February 4, 1923) is a former Colombian politician and the 26th President of Colombia from 1982 to 1986. He is a member of the Colombian Conservative Party.
Betancur was born in the vicinity of "el Morro de la Paila", of the town of Amagá, Antioquia. His father, Rosendo Betancur, was a blue-collar worker at the textile company Coltejer, a job that he obtained after having spent most of his life transporting goods by mule through the mountains of Antioquia. His mother, Ana Otilia Cuartas, had a small shop in Amagá. She died in 1950.
Betancur started his education in the public school of Amagá. He later transferred to the seminary "Misiones de Yarumal", where he studied for the priesthood. He was dismissed from the seminary for disciplinary matters. Betancur then traveled to the city of Medellín, where he enrolled in the Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana. There, he excelled in his studies and obtained exceptional grades. Upon completing his high-school education, the Headmaster of the school, Monsignor Manuel José Sierra, granted him a scholarship to complete his higher education. In 1955, Betancur graduated in jurisprudence and obtained a Law and Economics degree.
He began his political career as a Deputy to the Assembly of the Colombian province of Antioquia, where he served from 1945 to 1947. He also 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 of Colombia 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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Wikipedia