Virgilio Barco Vargas

Virgilio Barco Vargas
35th President of Colombia
In office 7 August 1986 – 7 August 1990
Preceded by	Belisario Betancur Cuartas
Succeeded by	César Gaviria Trujillo
20th Colombia Ambassador to United Kingdom
In office 9 November 1990 – 1992
President	César Gaviria Trujillo
Preceded by	Fernando Cepeda Ulloa
Succeeded by	Luis Prieto Ocampo
8th Colombia Ambassador to United Kingdom
In office 16 June 1961 – 1962
President	Alberto Lleras Camargo
Preceded by	Alfonso López Pumarejo
Succeeded by	Alfredo Araújo Grau
Colombia Ambassador to United States
In office 24 June 1977 – 11 December 1980
President	Alfonso López Michelsen
Preceded by	Julio César Turbay Ayala
Succeeded by	Jorge Mario Eastman Robledo
6th Mayor of the Special District of Bogotá
In office 1966–1969
President	Carlos Lleras Restrepo
Preceded by	Jorge Gaitán Cortés
Succeeded by	Emilio Urrea Delgado
Minister of Agriculture of Colombia
In office 23 April 1963 – 6 October 1963
President	Guillermo León Valencia
Preceded by	Cornelio Reyes
Succeeded by	Gustavo Balcázar Monzón
41st Minister of Finance and Public Credit of Colombia
In office 7 August 1962 – 5 September 1962
President	Guillermo León Valencia
Preceded by	Jorge Mejía Palacio
Succeeded by	Carlos Sanz de Santamaría
Minister of Public Works
In office 7 August 1958 – 9 November 1960
Succeeded by	Misael Pastrana Borrero
Personal details
Born	(1921-09-17)17 September 1921 Cúcuta, North Santander, Colombia
Died	20 May 1997(1997-05-20) (aged 75) Bogotá, D.C., Colombia
Resting place	Central Cemetery of Bogotá
Nationality	Colombian
Political party	Liberal
Spouse(s)	Carolina Isakson Proctor (1950-1997)
Children	María Carolina Barco Isakson Julia Barco Isakson Diana Barco Isakson Virgilio Barco Isakson
Alma mater	National University of Colombia Massachusetts Institute of Technology Boston University
Profession	Civil Engineer
Religion	Roman Catholic

This name uses Spanish naming customs; the first or paternal family name is Barco and the second or maternal family name is Vargas.

Virgilio Barco Vargas (17 September 1921 – 20 May 1997) was a politician and diplomat from Colombia. He was a member of the Colombian Liberal Party and served as President of Colombia from 1986 to 1990.

Early life

Barco was born in Cúcuta, Norte de Santander Department, in north-eastern Colombia. Studied Civil Engineering at the National University of Colombia and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he graduated in 1943 , He entered politics in 1943 when he became a city council member in the town of Durania for the Liberal Party. He was then elected to the lower house of Congress, but went into exile in the late 1940s because of violence between liberals and conservatives. He lived in the United States, where his daughter, Carolina Barco Isakson (who would later become a Colombian politician herself) was born.

Political career

Barco returned to Colombia in 1954 to help negotiate the peace process which allowed the formation of the National Front between liberals and conservatives, which lasted two decades. He became a member of the Senate, the upper house of Congress in 1958, left to become the ambassador to Britain in 1961, and returned to Colombia in 1962. He served another term in the Senate until 1966, when he was elected mayor of Colombia's capital, Bogotá. He served in that position until 1969, when he became a director of the World Bank until 1974. He then served as ambassador to the United States from 1977 until 1980.

President of Colombia (1986–1990)

Barco was elected president of Colombia with 58% of the vote in 1986. He supported anti-poverty programs, renewed dialogue with leftist guerillas and fought drug traffickers. Though he was popular within the international community, he became less popular in Colombia because the drug traffickers became more violent after he started to move against them. His restrictive economic policies at first doomed the country. After two years of this, The Economic Openness program was initiated by his administration, which would open Colombian markets to the world and recharge the country's economy. He served one 4-year term. When he left the Presidency in 1990. He served as ambassador to Britain again until 1992.

Death and legacy

When he retired from public life to be diagnosed with cancer and Alzheimer. He died in Bogotá on May 20, 1997.

In his honor was named the Virgilio Barco Library in Bogotá, designed by Rogelio Salmona.

Personal life

• His daughter, Carolina has served as Colombian Minister of Foreign Affairs and as Ambassador of Colombia to the United States.
• His son, also named Virgilio, is founder of Colombia Diversa, a Colombian movement for LGBT rights.
• Barco's biography in "Un Barco Liberal" by Edgar C. Otálvora ASIN B00507QJYE

External links

Political offices
Preceded by Belisario Betancur Cuartas	President of Colombia 1986–1990	Succeeded by César Gaviria