Isaías Medina Angarita

Isaías Medina Angarita
44th President of Venezuela
In office 5 May 1941 – 18 October 1945
Preceded by	Eleazar López Contreras
Succeeded by	Rómulo Betancourt
Personal details
Born	6 July 1897(1897-07-06) San Cristóbal, Venezuela
Died	15 September 1953(1953-09-15) (aged 56) Caracas, Venezuela
Political party	Venezuelan Democratic Party
Spouse(s)	Irma Felizola
Religion	Roman Catholic

Isaías Medina Angarita (6 July 1897 in San Cristóbal, Venezuela – 15 September 1953 in Caracas) was a Venezuelan military and political leader, president of Venezuela from 1941 until 1945.

Medina followed the path of his predecessor Eleazar López Contreras, and ruled the country's democratic transition process. He founded the Venezuelan Democratic Party in 1943. However, some in the Army considered him too liberal while other political enemies accused him of being too conservative, and both sides produced a putsch on 18 October 1945.

Contents 1 Early life and career 2 Presidency and last years 2.1 Medina's cabinet (1941-1945) 3 See also 4 References

Early life and career

He was the son of the coriano general José Rosendo Medina and Alejandrina Angarita García. He went to primary and secondary school in his native city and at the age of 15 transferred to Caracas to register in the Military academy on 9 March 1912. He graduated with the rank of second lieutenant on 23 July 1914. That same year he directed the third squad of the third company and the Manuel Piar second battalion of the infantry regiment. Later, on February, 1919 he returns to the Military Academy as commander of a company of cadets and as professor of this institution. He was made a lieutenant colonel on 15 January 1927, and also becomes professor of Spanish in the Officer Training School and of physical education in the Federal Schools of Caracas, the Men's Normal School and the grammar school Andrés Bello.

These educational positions helped him to relate with other professors and students and to absorb new ideas and new political tendencies. He even came to support the autonomy of the university. Later, he becomes associated with the Athens Group and the Club of the Seven, two intellectual clubs. However, he also becomes head of the Military Directorate of the War and Navy Ministry, where he initiated his friendship with Eleazar López Contreras. In 1930 he became a member of the Commission for the regulation of the military and the navy, was designated in 1931 temporary assistant of the Headquarters of the General Staff and from 15 July 1931, was head of the Cabinet and secretary of the War and Navy Ministry, a position that he held until 12 July 1935. Promoted to colonel rank, he is named by executive decree minister of War on 1 March 1936 and Brigadier general on 5 July 1940.

Presidency and last years

In the elections conducted by the National Congress on 28 April 1941, Medina Angarita was elected president with 120 votes, against 13 obtained by his closest opponent, Rómulo Gallegos. In 30 April 1941, he married Irma Felizola, and on 5 May he assumed the Presidency of the Republic. At the time, Venezuela had 3.870.771 inhabitants and Caracas 269,000, and a national budget of Bs. 300.000.000. Medina Angarita as president was a military man who respected human rights and freedom of expression, allowed the free activity of the political parties, promoted constitutional reforms which granted for the first time the vote to women, instituted the direct election of deputies and allowed the legalization of the Venezuelan Communist Party. However, he failed to implement universal, direct and secret suffrage, which was one of the main complaints used to justify his overthrow on 18 October 1945. He was arrested and expelled from the country.

On 8 May 1952, he suffered a cerebral hemorrhage, and was hospitalized at the Doctor's Hospital of New York, where he was in exile. He was allowed to return to Caracas by the government, but he then suffered an abdominal aneurysm, and died on 15 September 1953.

Medina's cabinet (1941-1945)

Ministries [1] OFFICE NAME TERM President Isaías Medina Angarita 1941–1945 Home Affairs Tulio Chiossone 1941–1942   César González 1942–1943   Juan Penzini Hernández 1943   José Nicomedes Rivas 1943–1945   Arturo Uslar Pietri 1945 Outer Relations Caracciolo Parra Pérez 1941–1945   Gustavo Herrera 1945 Finance Alfredo Machado Hernández 1941–1943   Arturo Uslar Pietri 1943   Rodolfo Rojas 1943–1945   Alfonso Espinoza 1945 War and Navy Antonio Chalbaud Cardona 1941–1942   Juan de Dios Celis Paredes 1942–1943   Carlos Meyer 1943   Manuel Morán 1943–1945   Delfín Becerra 1945 Development Enrique Jorge Aguerrevere 1941–1942   Eugenio Mendoza 1942–1943   Gustavo Herrera 1943–1945   Juan de Dios Celis Paredes 1945 Public Works Manuel Silveira 1941–1945 Education Alejandro Fuenmayor 1941   Gustavo Herrera 1941–1943   Rafael Vegas 1943–1945 Work and Communications Numa Quevedo 1941   Ovidio Pérez Ágreda 1941–1942   Héctor Cuenca 1942–1943   Julio Diez 1943–1945 Agriculture Severio Barbarito 1941   Rodolfo Rojas 1941–1943   Ángel Biagini 1943–1945 Health and Social Assistance Félix Lairet 1941–1945 Secretary of the Presidency Arturo Uslar Pietri 1941–1943   Ángel Biagini 1943   Arturo Uslar Pietri 1943   Pedro Sotillo 1943–1945

See also

• Venezuela
• Presidents of Venezuela

References

• (Spanish) Isaías Medina Angarita — Venezuelatuya.com
• (Spanish) Isaías Medina Angarita

Presidents of Venezuela Mendoza Bolívar Páez Vargas Carreño 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 Valera Guzmán Crespo Guzmán H. López Rojas Andueza Villegas Villegas Pulido Crespo Andrade C. Castro Gómez Gil Fortoul Márquez Gómez J. Pérez Gómez López Contreras Medina Betancourt Gallegos Delgado Chalbaud Suárez Flamerich Pérez Jiménez Larrazábal Sanabria Betancourt Leoni Caldera C. Pérez Herrera Lusinchi C. Pérez Lepage Velásquez Caldera Chávez

Persondata
Name	Medina Angarita, Isaias
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	6 July 1897
Place of birth	San Cristóbal, Venezuela
Date of death	15 September 1953
Place of death	Caracas, Venezuela