Marcos Pérez Jiménez

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Marcos Pérez Jiménez (April 25, 1914 – September 20, 2001) was President of Venezuela from 1952 to 1958.

Pérez Jiménez was born in Michelena, Táchira State. His father was a farmer and his mother a schoolteacher. He attended school in his home town and Colombia, and graduated from the Military Academy of Venezuela at the top of his class in 1934. He subsequently studied at military colleges in Peru.

In 1945, he participated in a coup that helped install Rómulo Gallegos (from the Democratic Action party), and became Minister of Defense. In 1948, he led another coup that ousted Gallegos. From 1948 until 1952, Venezuela was ruled by a military junta headed by Lieutenant Colonel Carlos Delgado Chalbaud, that included Pérez Jiménez and Germán Suárez Flamerich. On November 13, 1950, Delgado Chalbaud was murdered. The junta elected Suárez Flamerich as provisional president, but the real power behind him was Pérez Jiménez.

The junta called an election for 1952. When early results showed that the opposition leader was ahead and would win, the junta suspended the election and made Pérez Jiménez President.

Pérez Jiménez changed the name of the country, which had been United States of Venezuela since 1864, to Republic of Venezuela. This name would remain until 1999, when President Hugo Chávez changed it to the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (Spanish: República Bolivariana de Venezuela.)

During his government, Pérez Jiménez undertook many infrastructure projects, including construction of roads, bridges, government buildings, large public housing complexes and the symbolic Humboldt Hotel overlooking Caracas. The economy of Venezuela developed rapidly during his term.

Like most dictators, Pérez Jiménez was not tolerant of criticism and his government ruthlessly pursued and suppressed the opposition.

While Pérez Jiménez was president of Venezuela, the government of the United States awarded him the U.S. Legion of Merit.

In December 1957, the government held a plebiscite which Pérez Jiménez won by a wide margin. Few people trusted the official results.

In January 1958, there was a general uprising and, with rioting in the streets, Pérez Jiménez left the country. He moved to the United States, where he lived until 1963, when he was extradited to Venezuela on charges of embezzling $200 million during his presidential tenure. He was sent to jail until 1968, when he was released and exiled to Spain. In 1968, he was elected senator, but his election was thrown out on a technicality.

Perez Jimenez had four daughters with his wife and one daughter with Marita Lorenz. He died in Madrid, Spain at the age of 87.

Marcos Pérez Jiménez

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