Roberto Urdaneta Arbeláez facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Roberto Urdaneta Arbeláez
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| President of Colombia Interim |
|
| In office 5 November 1951 – 13 June 1953 |
|
| Preceded by | Laureano Gómez |
| Succeeded by | Gustavo Rojas Pinilla |
| Minister of War | |
| In office 7 August 1950 – 21 July 1951 |
|
| President | Laureano Gómez Castro |
| Preceded by | Rafael Sánchez Amaya |
| Succeeded by | José María Bernal |
| Minister of Government | |
| In office 21 July 1951 – 5 November 1951 |
|
| President | Laureano Gómez Castro |
| Preceded by | Domingo Sarasty |
| Succeeded by | Luis Ignacio Andrade |
| In office 11 December 1946 – 14 January 1948 |
|
| President | Mariano Ospina Pérez |
| Preceded by | Manuel Barrera Parra |
| Succeeded by | José Antonio Montalvo |
| 2nd Permanent Representative of Colombia to the United Nations | |
| In office 1948–1949 |
|
| President | Mariano Ospina Pérez |
| Preceded by | Alfonso López Pumarejo |
| Succeeded by | Fernando Londoño y Londoño |
| 25th Minister of Finance and Public Credit of Colombia | |
| In office 30 March 1945 – 9 April 1945 |
|
| President | Alfonso López Pumarejo |
| Preceded by | Gonzalo Restrepo Jaramillo |
| Succeeded by | Carlos Sanz de Santamaría |
| 1st Colombia Ambassador to Argentina | |
| In office 16 January 1940 – 20 February 1941 |
|
| President | Eduardo Santos Montejo |
| 1st Colombia Ambassador to Peru | |
| In office 28 November 1939 – 23 December 1939 |
|
| President | Alfonso López Pumarejo |
| Preceded by |
|
| Succeeded by | Eduardo Restrepo Sáenz |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 28 July 1931 – 10 December 1934 |
|
| President | Enrique Olaya Herrera (1931-1934) Alfonso López Pumarejo (1934) |
| Preceded by | Raimundo Rivas |
| Succeeded by | Enrique Olaya Herrera |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 27 June 1890 Bogotá, Cundinamarca, Colombia |
| Died | 20 August 1972 (aged 82) Bogotá, D.C., Colombia |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse | Clemencia Holguín y Caro |
| Alma mater | University of Deusto University of Salamanca National University of Colombia |
| Profession | Lawyer |
Roberto Urdaneta Arbeláez (born June 27, 1890 – died August 20, 1972) was an important Colombian politician and lawyer. He belonged to the Colombian Conservative Party. He served as the President of Colombia from November 1951 to June 1953. He became president when the original president, Laureano Gómez, was sick and couldn't continue his duties.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Roberto Urdaneta was born in Bogotá, Colombia, on June 27, 1890. He passed away in the same city on August 20, 1972.
He married Clemencia Holguín y Caro on June 3, 1917. They had five children together. Clemencia was the daughter of a former president, Carlos Holguín Mallarino.
Urdaneta started his schooling in Bogotá. Later, he traveled to Bilbao, Spain, to finish high school. He then went to Salamanca, Spain, where he studied law at the University of Salamanca. After returning to Colombia, he taught subjects like business law and political science.
Political Journey
Roberto Urdaneta was very interested in politics from a young age. He joined the Colombian Conservative Party. He was elected to the city council of Bogotá and the local assembly of Cundinamarca Department. He also served many times in the House of Representatives.
Later in his career, he represented Colombia at the United Nations. He also worked as an ambassador for Colombia in Perú and Argentina. Urdaneta held several important government jobs as a minister. He was the Minister of Defense, Minister of Finance, and Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Becoming President
Urdaneta became the President of Colombia on November 5, 1951. This happened because the elected president, Laureano Gómez, became ill and had to step down temporarily.
In 1951, new elections for Congress took place. The Liberal Party did not take part, so all the new members of Congress were from the Conservative Party. On October 30, 1951, the new Congress began its work. Most members supported former president Mariano Ospina Pérez.
The next day, President Laureano Gómez told Congress he needed to take time off due to his illness. Congress quickly worked to choose an interim president, called a "Designado a la Presidencia".
The person with the most votes to be interim president was Gilberto Alzate Avendaño. However, Laureano Gómez did not want him. Instead, Gómez strongly asked Congress to choose Roberto Urdaneta. Congress agreed to Gómez's request. So, Urdaneta took the oath to become interim president on November 5, 1951.
End of His Presidency
By June 1953, President Laureano Gómez had recovered and wanted to return to his position. Before doing so, Gómez asked Urdaneta to remove General Gustavo Rojas Pinilla from his role as Chief of Staff of the Army. Urdaneta did not remove the General.
On the morning of June 13, 1953, Laureano Gómez arrived at the presidential palace, "Palacio de Nariño". He announced that he was taking back his office as president. After his announcement, Gómez left the palace. Urdaneta remained in the president's office.
Later that same afternoon, General Gustavo Rojas Pinilla and other high-ranking Army generals came to see Urdaneta. They asked him to continue being the President of Colombia. Urdaneta was surprised. He replied that he had been removed that morning for not following an order. He felt he could not take the job back as another order.
General Duarte Blum explained that it was not an order. He said it was the honest wish of the armed forces generals. They felt they did not have the experience to run the country. General Rojas Pinilla even asked Urdaneta's wife, Clemencia Holguín, to convince her husband.
Urdaneta still refused. He said he was grateful for the Army's trust. But he explained that since Gómez had taken back his office that morning, he was no longer president. For him to accept, President Gómez would have to resign again.
General Rojas Pinilla had already ordered troops to move around Bogota and other major cities. Since Urdaneta would not agree to their request, General Rojas Pinilla then announced that he would take charge of the presidency himself.
Images for kids
-
Roberto Urdaneta Arbeláez
See also
In Spanish: Roberto Urdaneta para niños
