Jorge Eliécer Gaitán Ayala
| Jorge Eliécer Gaitán | |
|---|---|
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| 5th Minister of Labour, Health and Social Welfare of Colombia | |
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In office October 8, 1943 – March 6, 1944 |
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| President | Alfonso López Pumarejo |
| Preceded by | Abelardo Forero Benavides |
| Succeeded by | Moisés Prieto |
| 16th Minister of National Education of Colombia | |
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In office February 1, 1940 – February 15, 1941 |
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| President | Eduardo Santos Montejo |
| Preceded by | Alfonso Araújo Gaviria |
| Succeeded by | Guillermo Nannetti Cárdenas |
| 746th Mayor of Bogotá | |
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In office June 1936 – March 1937 |
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| Preceded by | Francisco José Arévalo |
| Succeeded by | Gonzalo Restrepo Jaramillo |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Jorge Eliécer Gaitán Ayala January 23, 1903 Cucunubá or Manta,Cundinamarca, Colombia |
| Died | April 9, 1948 (aged 45) Bogotá, D.C., Colombia |
| Nationality | Colombian |
| Political party | Colombian Liberal Party |
| Spouse(s) | Amparo Jaramillo Jaramillo (1936-1948) |
| Alma mater |
National University of Colombia (LL.D.) Sapienza University of Rome (J.D.) |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| La Violencia |
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| Prelude |
| Murder of Jorge Eliécer Gaitán |
| El Bogotazo |
| Political Parties |
| Liberal Party |
| Conservative Party |
| Colombian Communist Party |
| Presidents of Colombia |
| Mariano Ospina Pérez |
| Laureano Gómez |
| Gustavo Rojas Pinilla |
Jorge Eliécer Gaitán Ayala (January 23, 1903 – April 9, 1948) was a politician, a leader of a populist movement in Colombia, a former Education Minister (1940) and Labor Minister (1943–1944), mayor of Bogotá (1936) and one of the most charismatic leaders of the Liberal Party. He was assassinated during his second presidential campaign in 1948, setting off the Bogotazo and leading to a violent period of political unrest in Colombian history known as La Violencia (approx. 1948 to 1958).
Born in Bogotá to parents who were rank-and-file members of the Liberal Party,Gaitán and his family had a tenuous hold in the middle class. His birth date is given variously as 1898 and 1903. Gaitán was born in a house in Las Cruces, a neighborhood situated in the south of Bogotá, Colombia. The house, now with a plaque commemorating Gaitán as a legendary caudillo, were featured in a 1993 article of the newspaper El Tiempo.
Gaitán had a humble upbringing and he was exposed to poverty growing up in a neighborhood in the south of Bogotá called Egipto. Though he lived under these circumstances, he was the son to parents with white-collar occupations. His parents were Eliécer Gaitán and Manuela Ayala de Gaitán. His father was a history teacher, sold second-hand books, and was a journalist. In reading tales about Colombian history throughout his childhood, his father garnered Gaitán’s interest in Colombian culture and politics. Manuela Ayala de Gaitán, a graduate from a teaching institute, taught her son to read and write. Her liberal and feminist tendencies ostracized her from many social environments, but she eventually taught at a school where her views were not persecuted. Gaitán’s mother held great respect to higher education and encouraged her son to pursue it. However, Gaitán’s father wanted him to work a practical job. He did not want him to pursue higher education, which became a contentious topic that strained their father-son relationship.
Gaitán entered into formal education at the age of 12. His disdain towards conventional authority began during his time at school. He was unreceptive towards strict discipline and traditional curricula. Gaitán was expelled from a school for tossing an inkwell at a teaching Christian Brother. Later in 1913, Gaitán received a scholarship to attend Colegio Araújo, a liberal school whose students were predominantly upper-class offspring of members of the liberal party. The school was founded by Simon Araújo who was a champion of progressive views. He provided the medium for students to receive a liberal education in a country dominantly conservative at the time. In 1918, Gaitán drafted a letter to Colombian newspaper, El Tiempo, emphasizing the importance of higher education. He was advocating for teaching the disadvantaged populace subjects outside of traditional curricula, including topics such as hygiene. These classes were to be held at a Sunday school and provided a medium to further provide education to a wider range of people. Through his student leadership roles and intellectual ambitions, Gaitán shaped his dreams of becoming Colombian President to combat political, social, and economic equality. Gaitán transferred from Colegio Araújo because it did not possess the necessary accreditations to ensure success in his academic and career ambitions. Gaitán graduated as one of the top students in his new school, Colegio of Martín Restrepo Mejía in 1919.
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