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Juan Manuel SantosColombian politician, future President of the Republic of Colombia
Date of Birth: 10.08.1951
Country:  Colombia |
Content:
Biography of Juan Manuel Santos
Early Life and EducationJuan Manuel Santos, a Colombian politician and future President of the Republic of Colombia, was born on August 10, 1951, in Bogotá, the capital city of Colombia. He grew up in a wealthy and influential family and spent most of his childhood in the capital. Santos attended school in Bogotá and then enrolled in the private boys' school, Colegio San Carlos, which has produced many prominent politicians. In his final years of school, Santos became a cadet at the Naval Academy in Cartagena, the fifth-largest city in the country. After completing his studies there, he continued his education in the United States.
Santos earned a degree in economics and business administration from the University of Kansas, where he became a member of the Delta Upsilon fraternity. He later obtained a master's degree in economics, economic growth theory, and public administration from the London School of Economics and Political Science, a degree in business and journalism from Harvard University, and a degree in law and diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in Boston.
Political Career
Juan Manuel Santos held various positions throughout his career. He served as the Executive Director of the Colombian Coffee Delegation in the International Coffee Organization (ICO) in London. He was also a director of the newspaper "El Tiempo," a family enterprise, and wrote columns for 14 different publications. In 1991, during President Cesar Gaviria's administration, Santos became the Minister of Foreign Trade. In 1992, he was appointed President of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and served in that position for four years. From 1999 to 2002, Santos was the President of the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and simultaneously held the position of Director of the Andean Development Corporation (CAF).
In September 1994, Santos founded the Good Government Foundation, an organization that proposed a demilitarized zone for peaceful negotiations with FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia), a left-wing rebel group considered a terrorist organization worldwide. Santos is also the founder of the Social National Unity Party, created to support President Alvaro Uribe. On July 19, 2006, he was appointed as the Minister of Defense. During his tenure, Santos led successful military operations against FARC, resulting in the death of Raul Reyes, the second-in-command of FARC, during an airstrike in Ecuador. Several hostages, including former trade minister Fernando Araujo Perdomo and Ingrid Betancourt, a former presidential candidate, were also rescued. Santos's actions as Minister of Defense garnered both controversy and condemnation. The military raid into sovereign Ecuadorian territory, the presence of an officer wearing a Red Cross emblem during the rescue operation, and the acknowledgment of extrajudicial executions by Colombian military personnel were among the contentious issues.
Presidential Election and Legacy
On May 18, 2009, Santos announced his resignation as Minister of Defense and expressed his willingness to support President Uribe if he sought a third term. However, when Uribe's third term was not approved, Santos officially began his presidential campaign. On June 20, 2010, after two rounds of elections, Juan Manuel Santos Calderon was elected as the President of the Republic of Colombia. He took office three days later, just before his 59th birthday.
Juan Manuel Santos comes from a family with a strong political background. His great-uncle, Eduardo Santos, served as the President of Colombia from 1938 to 1942 and was the founder and director of the newspaper "El Tiempo." Santos's father, Enrique Santos Castillo, was the chief editor of "El Tiempo" for at least 50 years. After his father, Santos's brother, Enrique Santos Calderon, assumed the leadership of the newspaper. Francisco Santos, Santos's cousin, served as the Vice President of Colombia during Alvaro Uribe's presidency.
Santos is married to Maria Clemencia Rodriguez, and they have three children together: Maria Antonia, Martin, and Esteban.
