Isaías Medina Angarita

Isaías Medina Angarita
President of Venezuela
In office
5 May 1941 – 18 October 1945
Preceded byEleazar López Contreras
Succeeded byRómulo Betancourt
Personal details
Born(1897-07-06)6 July 1897
San Cristóbal, Venezuela
Died15 September 1953(1953-09-15) (aged 56)
Caracas, Venezuela
Political partyVenezuelan Democratic Party
SpouseIrma Felizola

Isaías Medina Angarita (6 July 1897 – 15 September 1953) was a Venezuelan military and political leader, the president of Venezuela from 1941 until 1945, during World War II. He followed the path of his predecessor Eleazar López Contreras, and ruled the country's democratic transition process.

Career[edit]

Medina was born in San Cristóbal, Venezuela, and graduated from the Military academy of Venezuela in 1914.[1] He served as War Minister from 1936 to 1941 under López Contreras. In 1943, he founded the Venezuelan Democratic Party. Medina Angarita was the first Venezuelan president who traveled abroad (in active office). First, in 1943 to the Bolivarian countries, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Panama, and in January 1944, the United States invited by Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The visit marked a milestone in the Venezuelan-US relations. Besides being the first time a Venezuelan president (in office) visited the United States, the time was made the journey was understood as an expression of the alliance of Venezuela with the Allies that fought the Axis. During the administration of Medina, Venezuela establishes relations with China in 1943 and the Soviet Union in 1945. Some in the Army considered his presidential regime too liberal while other political enemies accused him of being too conservative, and both sides were involved in a coup to remove him from power on 18 October 1945. Medina died, aged 56, in Caracas.

Medina's cabinet (1941-1945)[edit]

Ministries[2]
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 Baldo 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 Saverio 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

Personal life[edit]

Isaías Medina Angarita was married to Irma Felizola,[citation needed] who served as First Lady of Venezuela from 1941–1945.[citation needed]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Short Bio
  2. ^ Gaceta Oficial de Venezuela, period 1941-1945.
Political offices
Preceded by President of Venezuela
1941–1945
Succeeded by