Romulo Betancourt
| Rómulo Betancourt | |
|---|---|
 |
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| President of Venezuela | |
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In office 19 October 1945 – 17 February 1948 |
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| Preceded by | Isaías Medina Angarita |
| Succeeded by | Rómulo Gallegos |
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In office February 13, 1959 – March 13, 1964 |
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| Preceded by | Edgar Sanabria |
| Succeeded by | Raúl Leoni |
| Senator for life | |
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In office 1964–1981 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
Rómulo Ernesto Betancourt Bello 22 February 1908 Guatire, Miranda state, Venezuela |
| Died | 28 September 1981 (aged 73) New York City, United States |
| Political party | Acción Democrática |
| Spouse(s) | Carmen Valverde (Div.) (d.1977) Renée Hartmann Viso (1920-1991) |
| Signature |  |
Rómulo Ernesto Betancourt Bello (22 February 1908 – 28 September 1981; Spanish pronunciation: [ˈromulo betaŋˈkuɾ]), known as "The Father of Venezuelan Democracy", was President of Venezuela from 1945 to 1948 and again from 1959 to 1964, as well as leader of Acción Democrática, Venezuela's dominant political party in the 20th century.
Betancourt, one of Venezuela's most important political figures, led a tumultuous and highly controversial career in Latin American politics. Periods of exile brought Betancourt in contact with various Latin American countries as well as the United States, securing his legacy as one of the few real international leaders to emerge from 20th-century Latin America. Scholars credit Betancourt as the Founding Father of modern democratic Venezuela.
Rómulo Betancourt was a very close friend of the Governor of Puerto Rico, Luis Muñoz Marín, visiting the island often and frequently exchanging political views with him, viewing him as a political advisor on Democracy. Although they disagreed on certain issues they remained faithful friends. On one occasion in 1963, he refused to attend the inauguration of Juan Bosch as president of the Dominican Republic if Bosch did not extend an invitation to Muñoz Marín, who had provided a safe haven for Bosch and various members of his political party in Puerto Rico. Betancourt attended the funeral of his friend in 1980.
Rómulo Betancourt was born in Guatire, a town near Caracas. His parents were Luis Betancourt Bello (from Canary origins) and Virginia Bello Milano. He attended a private school in Guatire, followed by high school at the Liceo Caracas in Caracas. He studied law at the Central University of Venezuela.
As a young man he was expelled from Venezuela for radical agitation and moved to Costa Rica where he founded, and led, a number of radical and Communist student groups. In the early 1930s, while in Costa Rica, he became at the young age of 22, the leader of that country's Communist Party. In 1937, after resigning from the Communist Party and returning to Venezuela, he founded the Partido Democrático Nacional, which became an official political party in 1941 as Acción Democrática (AD).
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