Miguel Abadía Méndez
| Miguel Abadía Méndez | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 12th President of Colombia | |
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In office 7 August 1926 – 7 August 1930 |
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| Preceded by | Pedro Nel Ospina |
| Succeeded by | Enrique Olaya Herrera |
| Colombian Minister of Government | |
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In office 2 January 1924 – 8 June 1925 |
|
| President | Pedro Nel Ospina |
| Preceded by | José Ulises Osorio |
| Succeeded by | Ramón Rodríguez Diago |
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In office 6 December 1920 – 7 March 1921 |
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| President | Marco Fidel Suárez |
| Preceded by | Luis Cuervo Márquez |
| Succeeded by | Luis Cuervo Márquez |
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In office 15 September 1914 – 7 August 1918 |
|
| President | José Vicente Concha |
| Preceded by | Clodomiro Ramírez |
| Succeeded by | Pedro Antonio Molina |
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In office 11 December 1909 – 7 August 1910 |
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| President | Ramón González Valencia |
| Preceded by | Alejandro Botero Uribe |
| Succeeded by | Luis Felipe Campo |
| Colombian Minister of Public Instruction | |
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In office 3 May 1919 – 19 September 1921 |
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| President | Marco Fidel Suárez |
| Preceded by | José Francisco Insignares |
| Succeeded by | Eduardo Restrepo Sáenz |
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In office 31 July 1900 – 11 July 1901 |
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| President | José Manuel Marroquín |
| Preceded by | Marco Fidel Suárez |
| Succeeded by | Facundo Mutis Durán |
| Colombian Minister of Finance | |
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In office 11 July 1901 – 30 January 1902 |
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| President | José Manuel Marroquín |
| Preceded by | Pedro Antonio Molina |
| Succeeded by | Jose Ramón Lago |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
5 July 1867 Coello, Tolima, United States of Colombia |
| Died | 15 May 1947 (aged 79) Fomeque, Cundinamarca, Colombia |
| Nationality | Colombian |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse(s) | Felisa Santamaría Restrepo (-1921) Leonor de Velasco Álvarez (1926-) |
| Alma mater | Our Lady of the Rosary University (LLD) |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Miguel Abadía Méndez (July 5, 1867 – May 15, 1947) was the 17th President of Colombia (1926–1930). A Conservative party politician, Abadía was the last president of the period known as the Conservative Hegemony, running unopposed and forming a one party Cabinet.
Abadía, as a young lawyer, was a professor and MP. He was appointed as Minister of Education and Minister of Government by president Pedro Nel Ospina. In 1926, Abadía runs for president as the sole candidate of the Colombian Conservative Party. The Colombian Liberal Party did not participate in this election. Thus, Abadía was elected president for the presidential term of 1926-1930. At the end of his term, a 20-year period of rule by the conservatives came to an end.
Abadía, as president, had to face the difficult economic situation and world resection caused by the Great Depression. He was forced to apply the Law of 1922 by which the government was authorized to borrow money from foreign countries. His administration borrowed an enormous sum (70 million pesos) from the United States of America, mainly to promote publics works of infrastructure which greatly alleviated the unemployment situation. These borrowed funds were invested mainly in the construction of roadways, railways, waterways and sea ports.
The economy was in a severe depression and the unemployment was very high. This caused a widespread social and political unrest across the nation. The first signs of international communism appeared in the form of labor unions in 1928. The two major strikes, of tragic consequences, were the one in the banana growing region of the State of Magdalena against the United Fruit Company and the one in the State of Santander against the Tropical Oil Company. By 1929 the civil unrest had reached Bogotá, where the students of local Universities orchestrated street disturbances. The upraise and unrest was so violent, that Abadía had to impose Martial Law to control the situation of public order and try to restore peace and order in the country.
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Wikipedia