Ramón José Velásquez

Infobox_President | name=Ramón José Velásquez


order=59th President of Venezuela
term_start=June 5, 1993
term_end=February 2 1994
predecessor=Octavio Lepage
successor=Rafael Caldera
birth_date=Birth date and age|1916|11|28|mf=y
birth_place=San Juan de Colón, Táchira, Venezuela
religion=Roman Catholic


spouse= Ligia Betancourt Mariño
alma_mater=Central University of Venezuela|

Ramón José Velásquez (born November 28 1916) is a Venezuelan political figure. He served as president of Venezuela between 1993 and 1994. He is known as a historian, journalist, lawyer, politician and entertainer of companies for his knowledge of the "national life".

He was born in San Juan de Colón, in Táchira state, on November 28, 1916. He studied law and sociopolitical sciences. He was convinced of the importance of the press as a historical source and for the informing of public opinion, and as a result of the overthrow of the Marcos Pérez Jiménez dictatorship. On January 23, 1958, when the democratic process began in Venezuela, he founded the vespertine "El Mundo". Velásquez has also been the president of "El Nacional" on two occasions. First from (1964-1968 and then from 1979-1981). His interest in the media projected into the university atmosphere and this was reflected in the creation of a particular class on the history of the media in Venezuela. This class would be part of the School of Journalism at the Andrés Bello Catholic University. Velásquez was also the founder a class on historical processes in Venezuela at the Metropolitan University of Caracas. As well as another class at the Institute of Historical Investigations and one on the Venezuelan Media at the Central University of Venezuela. He is a member of the International Council of the New York-based Human Rights Foundation.

Historian

As a historian he has managed to impose his authority, thanks to the density of his works on episodes and personalities of Venezuelan history. From his work as an investigator and his initiatives lead to the creation of the "Historical Files of Miraflores" (1961), the "Foundation for the rescue of the Venezuelan Documentary Heap" (1974) and the "Office of Investigations of Political History of the Congress" (1983), of which he was also president. Velásquez has rescued several documents and significant papers of the national life, he has put them in diverse collections of evident bibliographical value, of these last ones, under his direction, they deserve to stand out at the Bulletin of the Historical File of Miraflores (founded on 1961) “"Venezuelan Political Thought, 1830-1900"” (15 volumes, 1961), “"Travelling Venezuela"” (9 volumes, 1961), "“Our XIX century , 1830-1900”" (9 volumes, 1961), "“Political Thought of the XX century ”" (1983). These important works have brought him many recognitions: individual of number of the National Academy of History (1964), "Prize Maria Moors Cabot", of the "University of Columbia", New York (1967), "Municipal prize of Prose" (1972) by his book the fall of the yellow Liberalism, individual of number of the Venezuelan Academy of the Language (1977), and the Honoris Causa degree of the "Andes University" (1987), "University of Carabobo" (1987), "Santa María University" (1987) and the "National Experimental University of Táchira" (1992).

Politician

During the dictatorship of Marcos Pérez Jiménez, Velásquez was jailed a long time, for the role that he played with others in the creation of the black book of the dictatorship. This was a truthful and powerful file on the crimes of the dictatorial period. When the country initiated its democratic life, he occupied the secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic, although the representation of his state in the National Congress, is considered by his knowledge as a factor of balance in the Venezuelan democracy. Velásquez was also a permanent advisor not only of heads of government but also of parliamentarians, leaders, and political parties. In 1993, as a result of the political crisis produced by the destitution of the president Carlos Andrés Pérez, the National Congress designated him as the President of the Republic, a position that was carried out until finishing the constitutional period in 1994,but before him Octavio Lepage succeeded Carlos Andrés Pérez as an acting president on 21 May 1993 while Ramón José Velásquez's term started on 5 June 1993.

External links

* [http://www.cidob.org/es/documentacion/biografias_lideres_politicos/america_del_sur/venezuela/ramon_jose_velasquez_mujica Biography (in Spanish) by CIDOB Foundation]
* [http://www.geocities.com/otalvora/libros/pazramo/indexpax.htm "La Paz Ramónica" (Velasquez´s government) by Edgar C. Otálvora]
* [http://www.geocities.com/otalvora/libros/redlibsoc/redlib01.htm "RJV La Red de Liberales y Socialdemócratas" (Velasquez´s biography by Edgar C. Otálvora)]