Gustavo Rojas Pinilla
| Gustavo Rojas Pinilla | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 19th President of Colombia | |
|
In office 13 June 1953 – 10 May 1957 |
|
| Preceded by | Laureano Gómez Castro |
| Succeeded by | Alberto Lleras Camargo |
| 25th Minister of Posts and Telegraphs of Colombia | |
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In office 3 December 1949 – 7 August 1950 |
|
| President | Mariano Ospina Pérez |
| Preceded by | José Vicente Dávila Tello |
| Succeeded by | José Tomás Angulo Lourido |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
12 March 1900 Tunja, Boyacá, Colombia |
| Died | 17 January 1975 (aged 74) Melgar, Tolima, Colombia |
| Nationality | Colombian |
| Political party | National Popular Alliance |
| Spouse(s) | Carola Correa Londoño (1930–1975) |
| Children |
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| Alma mater | Trine University (BCE, 1927) |
| Profession | Civil Engineer |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 Colombia
|
| Service/branch | Army |
| Years of service | 1920–1957 |
| Rank | General |
| Battles/wars | |
Gustavo Rojas Pinilla (12 March 1900 – 17 January 1975) was the 19th President of Colombia from June 1953 to May 1957. An Army General, he mounted a successful coup d'état against the incumbent President, Laureano Gómez Castro (1889—1965), imposing martial law and establishing a dictatorship-style government in Colombia.
Rojas was born in the city of Tunja, Boyacá, on March 12, 1900, and died in Melgar, Tolima, on January 17, 1975.
Gustavo Rojas Pinilla began his career in the school of cadets Escuela Militar de Cadetes Gral. José María Cordoba of Bogotá in 1917. He obtained his degree in 1920. In 1923 while serving in Manizales, Caldas, he was promoted to lieutenant in the army. He became dissatisfied with the army and in 1924 he requested permission to retire from active service so that he could study civil engineering in Tri-State Normal College, in the United States where he obtained the title of civil engineer in 1927. From there he started taking part in the construction of highways and other works of engineering as part of his military career.
In 1932, Rojas was called to the front lines in order to defend the country in the war against Perú. The following year he was assigned to Buenaventura's port as commander of the Coast Battery and military engineer of the region in case of a Peruvian attack. In 1936, he became an engineer of the technical department of the Colombian Army, ammunitions factory, on behalf of which he was sent on a special mission to Germany to obtain the machinery necessary to make ammunitions in Bogotá. On his return to Colombia he was nominated as chief of the technical department of the munitions factory.
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