Rómulo Gallegos

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Rómulo Gallegos
Rómulo Gallegos

In office
February 17, 1948 – November 24, 1948
Preceded by Rómulo Betancourt
Succeeded by Carlos Delgado Chalbaud

Born August 2, 1884
Caracas, Venezuela
Died April 7, 1969
Caracas, Venezuela
Political party Acción Democrática
Spouse Teotiste Arocha Egui

Rómulo Gallegos Freire (August 2, 1884April 7, 1969) was a Venezuelan novelist and politician. For a period of some three months during 1948, he served as his country's president.

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[edit] Early life

Rómulo Gallegos was born in Caracas to Rómulo Gallegos Osío and Rita Freire Guruceaga, into a family of humble origin. He began his work as a schoolteacher, writer, and journalist in 1903. His novel Doña Bárbara was first published 1929, and it was because of the book's criticisms of the regime of Juan Vicente Gómez (an army general who had come to power in a 1908 coup d'état) that he was forced to flee the country. He took refuge in Spain, where he continued to write: his acclaimed novels Cantaclaro (1934) and Canaima (1935) date from this period.

[edit] Politician

Venezuelan Presidential election 1947
Results
Candidates Votes %
Rómulo Gallegos 871.752 %
Rafael Caldera 262.204 %
Gustavo Machado 36.587 %
Abstention: %
Total votes:

He returned to Venezuela in 1936 and was appointed Minister of Public Education. In 1937 he was elected to Congress and, in 1940–41, served as mayor of Caracas. In 1945 he was involved in the coup that brought Rómulo Betancourt to power. In 1947 he ran for the presidency of the republic, won the election, took office in February 1948, and was overthown by a military coup d'état the following November. He took refuge first in Cuba and then in Mexico.

He was able to return to Venezuela in 1958. He was appointed a senator for life, awarded the National Literature Prize, and elected to the Venezuelan Academy of the Language (the correspondent agency in Venezuela of the Spanish Royal Academy). The Rómulo Gallegos international novel prize was created in his honour in 1964, with the first award being made in 1967.

He died in his beloved Caracas on April 7, 1969.

[edit] Published works

President Rómulo Gallegos and President Harry S. Truman at a ceremony in Bolivar, Missouri on July 4, 1948.
Enlarge
President Rómulo Gallegos and President Harry S. Truman at a ceremony in Bolivar, Missouri on July 4, 1948.
  • El último Solar (1920) (alternative title:Reinaldo Solar)
  • La trepadora (1925)
  • Doña Bárbara (1929)
  • Cantaclaro (1934)
  • Canaima (1935)
  • Pobre negro (1937)
  • El forastero (1942)
  • Sobre la misma tierra (1943)
  • La brizna de paja en el viento (1952)
  • Una posición en la vida (1954)
  • El último patriota (1957)

[edit] See also


The Presidential Army Ensign of Venezuela.      Presidents of Venezuela      The Coat of Arms of Venezuela.
Mendoza | Bolívar | Bolívar | Páez | Vargas | Narvarte | Carreño | Soublette | Páez | Soublette | J.T. Monagas | J.G. Monagas | J.T. Monagas | Gual | J. Castro | Gual | Tovar | Gual | Páez | Falcón | Bruzual | Villegas | J.R. Monagas | Villegas | Guzmán | Linares | Varela | Guzmán | Crespo | Guzmán | H. López | Rojas | Andueza | Villegas | Crespo | Andrade | C. Castro | Gómez | Márques | Gómez | J. Pérez | Gómez | E. López | Medina | Betancourt | Gallegos | Delgado Chalbaud | Suárez Flamerich | Pérez Jiménez | Larrazábal | Sanabria | Betancourt | Leoni | Caldera | C. Pérez | Herrera | Lusinchi | C. Pérez | Velásquez | Caldera | Chávez | Carmona | Cabello | Chávez