President Cesar Gaviria Role Colombian Politician Preceded by Jorge Salazar Parents Laureano Gomez | Name Alvaro Hurtado | |
 | ||
Preceded by Alfonso Lopez Caballero President Belisario Betancur Cuartas President Roberto Urdaneta Arbelaez Died November 2, 1995, Bogota, Colombia Spouse Margarita Escobar Lopez (m. 1946) | ||
Succeeded by Miguel Gomez Martinez | ||
lvaro g mez hurtado el asesinato
Álvaro Gómez Hurtado (May 8, 1919 - November 2, 1995) was a Colombian lawyer, politician, journalist and active member of the Colombian Conservative Party. Gómez was a son of the former President of Colombia, Laureano Gómez. He is mostly remembered for being one of the writers of the Colombian Constitution of 1991 and for running three times for the presidency, but without success. He served separate appointments as ambassador to Italy, the United States and France, beginning in the 1980s.
Contents
- lvaro g mez hurtado el asesinato
- Discurso lvaro g mez hurtado promulgaci n de nueva constituci n para colombia 1991
- Early years
- Journalism
- Political career
- Presidential candidacies
- President of the Constituent Assembly
- Kidnapping
- Death
- Published work
- Marriage and family
- References
Discurso lvaro g mez hurtado promulgaci n de nueva constituci n para colombia 1991
Early years
Álvaro Gómez was born as the second of four children to Laureano Gómez, a newspaper publisher who later became president of Colombia. His mother was María Hurtado Cajiao. His siblings are Cecilia, Rafael and Enrique. The family grew up in La Candelaria, a traditional neighborhood of Bogotá. The children attended private schools in Brussels, Belgium and Buenos Aires, Argentina while their father served as a diplomat. After his family's return to Bogotá, Gómez went to the Colegio de San Bartolomé, a preparatory school, graduating in 1936.
He studied law at the Pontifical Xavierian University and graduated as a lawyer in 1941. His thesis was entitled Influencias del Estoicismo en el Derecho Romano ("The Influence of Stoicism in Roman Law").
Journalism
He began writing for the newspaper El Siglo, which was owned by his father. He later founded a weekly business magazine called Síntesis Económica (Economic Synthesis) and created and produced a television news show called Noticiero 24 Horas ("24 Hours News").
Political career
Gómez Hurtado's first political office was as elected councilman for the city of Bogotá. He next ran for the Chamber of Representatives of Colombia and was elected for a four-year term. After finishing his term, he was elected to the Senate.
Gómez was appointed as a "plenipotentiary minister" several times. He was also appointed as Ambassador to the United Nations, Switzerland, Italy, the United States and France.
Presidential candidacies
Gómez founded the National Salvation Movement. He ran (unsuccessfully) as its candidate for president three times: in 1974 against Alfonso López Michelsen, in 1986 against Virgilio Barco and in 1990 against César Gaviria.
President of the Constituent Assembly
He was elected to the Constituent Assembly, which created the new Colombian Constitution of 1991. He was elected as co-president of the Constituent Assembly along with Horacio Serpa and Antonio Navarro. After the Constitution had been written and ratified, Gómez left politics and focused on journalism and academia.
Kidnapping
In 1988, Gómez was kidnapped by the M-19 guerrillas, then led by Antonio Navarro. Navarro released him after the intervention of Álvaro Leyva.
Death
Álvaro Gómez was murdered by gunmen on November 2, 1995 in Bogotá while leaving the Sergio Arboleda University, where he was a Visiting Professor.
Published work
Marriage and family
Álvaro Gómez was married to Margarita Escobar López and had three children: Mauricio, Mercedes and Álvaro José.