Mariano Ospina Pérez facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mariano Ospina Pérez
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| 28th President of Colombia | |
| In office 7 August 1946 – 7 August 1950 |
|
| Preceded by | Alfonso López Pumarejo |
| Succeeded by | Laureano Gómez Castro |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Luis Mariano Ospina Pérez
24 November 1891 Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia |
| Died | 14 April 1976 (aged 84) Bogotá, D.C., Colombia |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse | Bertha Hernández Fernández (1946–1976) |
| Children | 5 |
| Alma mater |
|
| Profession | Mining Engineer |
Mariano Ospina Pérez (born November 24, 1891 – died April 14, 1976) was an important Colombian politician. He belonged to the Colombian Conservative Party. He served as the 17th President of Colombia from 1946 to 1950.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Mariano Ospina Pérez was born in Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia. His family was well-known in Colombian politics. His grandfather, Mariano Ospina Rodríguez, and his uncle, Pedro Nel Ospina, were also presidents of Colombia.
Ospina studied engineering at the Mining School of Antioquia. He graduated as a mining engineer. After finishing his studies, he traveled for two years. He visited places like Louisiana, London, and Paris. During his travels, he learned about gold mining, sugar cane, and economics. He also studied civil engineering and railway systems.
Before becoming president, Ospina was a successful businessman. He also worked as the executive administrator for the National Federation of Coffee Growers.
Working with Coffee Growers
In 1927, the Federación Nacional de Cafeteros de Colombia (National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia) was created. Ospina was the first president of its regional committee in Antioquia. He was also the very first member of this important organization.
In 1929, the first board of directors for the National Federation of Coffee Growers met. Mariano Ospina Pérez was a key member. He was very dedicated to organizing Colombia's coffee industry.
In 1930, Ospina was asked to lead the Fourth National Congress of Coffee Growers. He had a lot of knowledge about coffee. The delegates then chose him as the General Director of the Federation. He held this position for four years, until 1934.
Later, in 1954, after being president, Ospina returned to the Federation. He was elected as the president of its board of directors. His return showed his lasting importance in Colombia's coffee world.
Ospina helped create the Federation and later led it. His main goal was to help coffee growers. He wanted to give them financial support and education. He also worked hard to sell Colombian coffee around the world.
Under Ospina's leadership, Colombia's coffee industry grew strong. It became the largest producer of high-quality Coffea arabica coffee. Today, the Federation supports over 500,000 independent coffee farmers.
Political Journey
When Ospina returned to Colombia in 1914, he joined the Colombian Conservative Party. He was elected as a councilman for Medellín in 1915 and again in 1917. In the same year, he became a Deputy for Antioquia.
In 1919, he was put in charge of the Antioquia Railway. He was elected to the Assembly of Antioquia again in 1921. After his father passed away, Ospina took over as the director of the Mining School.
He was later elected to the Colombian Congress. He served first as a Representative and then as a Senator. In 1922, his uncle, Pedro Nel Ospina, became president. Mariano Ospina also became a senator for four years.
In 1926, President Miguel Abadía Méndez made Ospina the Minister of Public Works. He held this job for eight months. From 1930 to 1934, he managed the Federación Nacional de Cafeteros de Colombia. Because of this, people called him "Hombre de los Cafeteros" (the man of the coffee growers).
Becoming President
In 1946, the Conservative party chose Ospina as their candidate for president. This was a smart move because the opposing Colombian Liberal Party was divided. Ospina was named the official candidate just three weeks before the election.
He won the election against his Liberal opponents. He received less than 40% of the votes, but many people did not vote.
The Presidency of Mariano Ospina Pérez
Ospina became President of Colombia in 1946. During his time as president, Colombia sold the most coffee ever. Coffee exports were a very big part of the country's economy.
He worked to improve Colombia's infrastructure. He created important companies like Ecopetrol (the Colombian Petroleum Company) and Acerias Paz del Río (a large steel mill). He also cared about social responsibility. He set up:
- La Caja Agraria: A financial institution to help farmers.
- The Social Security Administration: To provide social support.
- The Department of Labor: To help workers.
- The Housing Credit Agency: To help people get homes.
These organizations aimed to help workers, coffee growers, and small farmers.
During his presidency, Colombia faced growing political problems. There was tension between the Conservative party, the Liberal party, and the rising Communist party.
On April 9, 1948, a sad event happened. The popular Liberal leader Jorge Eliécer Gaitán was killed. He was running for president and had a lot of support from the people. His death caused huge riots in Bogotá, known as the Bogotazo. These riots spread across the country. This led to a ten-year period of violence called La Violencia.
After the riots, the government tried to unite the country. However, this failed. The Conservative government then started to act against the Liberals. Ospina was criticized by the Liberals. They tried to remove him from office in Congress. But Ospina closed Congress before they could do this. This period was followed by a time of military rule until 1958.
Ospina also created other important organizations:
- ECOPETROL (Colombian Petroleum Company)
- TELECOM (Telecommunications Company)
- ISS (Social Security Administration)
He also built oil pipelines and hydroelectric dams. He worked to increase coffee production and exports.
After the Presidency
After his presidency, in 1949, Laureano Gómez became president. There was a split in the Conservative party. Ospina supported a more moderate group, while Gómez had extreme views. Ospina eventually supported a coup d'état (a sudden takeover of the government) against Gómez. This led to the military rule of Gustavo Rojas Pinilla. Rojas had been Ospina's Minister of Post and Telegraphs.
Later, Ospina disagreed with Rojas and stopped supporting him. Instead, he helped create the National Front. This was an agreement between the Liberal and Conservative parties to share power and end the violence.
Mariano Ospina Pérez passed away in Bogotá on April 14, 1976, at the age of 84.
Images for kids
-
Mariano Ospina Pérez
See also
In Spanish: Mariano Ospina Pérez para niños
