César Gaviria | |
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7th Secretary General of the Organization of American States | |
In office September 15, 1994 – September 15, 2004 |
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Preceded by | João Clemente Baena Soares |
Succeeded by | Miguel Ángel Rodríguez |
28th President of Colombia | |
In office August 7, 1990 – August 7, 1994 |
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Preceded by | Virgilio Barco Vargas |
Succeeded by | Ernesto Samper Pizano |
Minister of Interior and Justice | |
In office May 1987 – February 1989 |
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President | Virgilio Barco Vargas |
Preceded by | Fernando Cepeda Ulloa |
Succeeded by | Raúl Orejuela Bueno |
57th Minister of Finance and Public Credit of Colombia | |
In office August 7, 1986 – June 17, 1987 |
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President | Virgilio Barco Vargas |
Preceded by | Hugo Palacios Mejía |
Succeeded by | Luis Fernando Alarcón Mantilla |
Member of the Chamber of Representatives of Colombia | |
In office July 20, 1974 – July 20, 1986 |
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Constituency | Risaralda Department |
President of the Chamber of Representatives of Colombia | |
In office July 20, 1984 – July 20, 1985 |
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Preceded by | Hernando Gómez Otálora |
Succeeded by | Daniel Mazuera Gómez |
Personal details | |
Born |
César Augusto Gaviria Trujillo March 31, 1947 Pereira, Risaralda, Colombia |
Nationality | Colombian |
Political party | Liberal |
Children |
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Alma mater | University of the Andes (BEcon, 1969) |
Occupation | Economist |
Religion | Roman Catholicism |
César Augusto Gaviria Trujillo (Spanish: [ˈsesaɾ auˈɣusto ɣaˈβiɾja tɾuˈxiʝo] ; born March 31, 1947) is a Colombian economist and politician who served as the President of Colombia from 1990 to 1994, Secretary General of the Organization of American States from 1994 to 2004 and National Director of the Colombian Liberal Party from 2005 to 2009. During his tenure as president, he summoned the Constituent Assembly of Colombia that enacted the Constitution of 1991.
Born in Pereira, the Gaviria family had been an important figure in Colombian politics and economy for over 30 years. César Gaviria is the distant cousin of José Narces Gaviria, who was the CEO of Bancolombia from 1988–1997. José N. Gaviria encouraged César Gaviria to run for the Congress of Colombia in early childhood. He was first elected to Congress in 1974. He served in Virgilio Barco's government, first as Minister of Finance and later as the Minister of the Interior.
As a student, Gaviria spent a year as an exchange student in the United States with AFS Intercultural Programs.
Before entering politics, he studied at the University of the Andes in the 1960s. He established AIESEC there, and then in 1968 was elected President of AIESEC in Colombia. This began his public service career.
At 23, he was elected councilman in his hometown of Pereira, and four years later he became the city's mayor. In 1974 he was elected to the Chamber of Representatives, of which he was president of in 1984–85. Three years later he became co-chair of the Colombian Liberal Party.