Luis Carlos Galán
| Luis Carlos | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Senator of Colombia | |
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In office 20 July 1978 – 20 July 1989 |
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| Colombia Ambassador to Italy | |
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In office 1972–1975 |
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| President | Misael Pastrana Borrero |
| Preceded by | Antonio Álvarez Restrepo |
| Succeeded by | Jaime Castro Castro |
| Colombian Minister of National Education | |
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In office 7 August 1970 – 4 May 1972 |
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| President | Misael Pastrana Borrero |
| Preceded by | Octavio Arizmendi Posada |
| Succeeded by | Juan Jacobo Muñoz |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
29 September 1943 Bucaramanga, Santander, Colombia |
| Died | 18 August 1989 (aged 45) Bogotá, Cundinamarca, Colombia |
| Resting place | Central Cemetery of Bogotá |
| Nationality | Colombian |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Other political affiliations |
New Liberalism (1979–1987) |
| Spouse(s) | Gloria Pachón Castro (1971–1989) |
| Relations | Alfonso Valdivieso Sarmiento (cousin) |
| Children |
Juan Manuel Galán Pachón Claudio Mario Galán Pachón Carlos Fernando Galán Pachón |
| Alma mater | Pontifical Xavierian University |
| Profession | Journalist |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Luis Carlos Galán Sarmiento (29 September 1943 – 18 August 1989) was a Colombian journalist and liberal politician who ran for the presidency of Colombia on two occasions, the first for the Liberal Party in 1982, which he lost to Belisario Betancur. His poor results encouraged him to focus his aspirations on the political movement New Liberalism he had founded in 1979. The movement was initially the offspring of the mainstream Colombian Liberal Party, but, with the mediation of former president Julio César Turbay, Galán returned to the party in 1987 and sought the nomination for the presidential election.
Galán declared himself an enemy of the dangerous and influential Colombian drug cartels, mainly the Medellín Cartel led by Pablo Escobar (who had been part of his New Liberalism Movement) and Gonzalo Rodríguez a.k.a. "El Mexicano," that were corrupting Colombian society at all levels. Galán supported an extradition treaty with the U.S. After receiving several death threats, on August 18, 1989, Galán was shot to death by hitmen hired by the drug cartels during a public demonstration in the town of Soacha, Cundinamarca. At the time, he was comfortably leading in the polls for the forthcoming 1990 presidential election. The investigation into his assassination remains partially unsolved.
Galán was born on 29 September 1943 in the city of Bucaramanga, Santander, northeastern Colombia. He had a happy childhood, with strong family bonds, affectionate and sometimes austere, as he had 12 siblings. His father moved with the whole family to Bogotá in 1949.
In Bogotá, Galán studied middle school in the Colegio Americano in 1950. While a student there and only 8 years old, he attended a rally against Conservative president Laureano Gómez and intended to support the Liberal guerrillas. Two years later he was transferred to another school, the Colegio Antonio Nariño. When he was only a 14-year-old, Galán participated in the students protests of 1957 against the dictatorial regime of Gustavo Rojas getting arrested and spending the night in a jail despite his age. In 1960 Galán graduated from High School with honors and began studies of law and economics in the Pontifical Xavierian University in Bogotá, it was then that his liberal radicalism cooled off. While a student in 1963, Galán founded Vértice, a university focused magazine to express his Liberal tendencies in a university that was predominantly Conservative and also became his first experience with journalism. He was able to meet prominent Colombian leaders like former Liberal president Carlos Lleras (who delighted with Galán's work, decided to write articles for Vértice Magazine) and Colombia's main circulation newspaper El Tiempo owner and also former Liberal president of Colombia Eduardo Santos during an interview in which Santos was impressed by Galán's journalist qualities. In 1965 after graduating this same year, he started working for the Colombian newspaper El Tiempo.
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