Rafael Caldera
| Rafael Caldera | |
|---|---|
 |
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| President of Venezuela | |
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In office 2 February 1994 – 2 February 1999 |
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| Preceded by | Ramón José Velásquez |
| Succeeded by | Hugo Chávez |
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In office 11 March 1969 – 12 March 1974 |
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| Preceded by | Raúl Leoni |
| Succeeded by | Carlos Andrés Pérez |
| Senator for Life | |
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In office 12 March 1974 – 2 February 1994 |
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In office 2 February 1999 – 20 December 1999 |
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| President of the Chamber of Deputies of the Congress of Venezuela | |
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In office 1959–1962 |
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| Solicitor General of Venezuela | |
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In office 26 October 1945 – 13 April 1946 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
Rafael Antonio Caldera Rodríguez 24 January 1916 San Felipe, Yaracuy |
| Died | 24 December 2009 (aged 93) Caracas, Venezuela |
| Political party |
COPEI (1946–1993) National Convergence (1993–2009) |
| Spouse(s) | Alicia Pietri Montemayor |
| Alma mater | Central University of Venezuela |
| Occupation | Lawyer |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
| Signature |  |
| Website | Official website |
Rafael Antonio Caldera Rodríguez (Spanish pronunciation: [rafaˈel anˈtonjo kalˈdeɾa roˈðɾiɣes]; 24 January 1916 – 24 December 2009) was a Venezuelan politician who served as the 56th and 63th President of Venezuela from 1969 to 1974 and again from 1994 to 1999.
Caldera taught sociology and law at various universities before entering politics. He was a founding member of COPEI, Venezuela's Christian Democratic party. He first ran for president unsuccessfully in 1947 and tried again every time it was possible until finally succeeding in 1968, winning by a relatively scant 33,000 votes against a recently divided Acción Democrática party. When he was sworn into office in 1969, it marked the first peaceful transfer of power from one party to another in Venezuela's history. During his first presidency, Caldera was able to pacify the country by granting an amnesty that allowed guerrilla fighters, who had been operating clandestinely for almost a decade, to reincorporate into society and participate in politics.
In 1993, Caldera split from COPEI, the party he had founded, to form a new political party, Convergence, which, supported by a coalition of many small leftist parties: (MAS, MEP, PCV) as well as some centre-right parties (URD, MIN), raised Caldera to the presidency in December 1993. This was a fatal blow to the traditional parties which, leaderless and demoralized, garnered few votes in the election. He won a very narrow victory in that year's presidential election. During his second presidential period, he pardoned Hugo Chávez, who eventually went on to succeed him in 1999.
Rafael Caldera, was born in San Felipe, Yaracuy. His parents were Tomás Rafael Caldera Izaguirre and Rosa Sofía Rodriguez Rivero. Orphaned at a young age, he was adopted by his aunt Maria Eva Rodriguez Rivero, who was married to lawyer Tomás Liscano, and became part of a wealthy Venezuelan Roman Catholic family. He married Alicia Pietri de Caldera (granddaughter of Juan Pietri, and first-cousins with Arturo Uslar Pietri and Andres Boulton Pietri) in 1941 with whom he had six children: Mireya, Juan José, Rafael Tomás, Alicia Helena, Cecilia, and Andrés Antonio Caldera Pietri.
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