Alfonso López Caballero
| Alfonso López Caballero | |
|---|---|
| 26th Colombia Ambassador to United Kingdom | |
|
In office 7 November 2002 – 7 December 2006 | |
| President | Álvaro Uribe Vélez |
| Preceded by | Víctor Guillermo Ricardo Piñeros |
| Succeeded by | Carlos Eduardo Medellín Becerra |
| 3rd Minister of the Interior of Colombia | |
|
In office 9 January 1998 – 7 August 1998 | |
| President | Ernesto Samper Pizano |
| Preceded by | Carlos Holmes Trujillo García |
| Succeeded by | Néstor Humberto Martínez Neira |
| Colombia Ambassador to Canada | |
|
In office 1994–1998 | |
| President | Ernesto Samper Pizano |
| Succeeded by | Fabio Avella Martínez |
| Minister of Agriculture of Colombia | |
|
In office 25 November 1991 – 4 March 1993 | |
| President | César Gaviria Trujillo |
| Preceded by | María del Rosario Sintes |
| Succeeded by | José Antonio Ocampo Gaviria |
| 14th Colombia Ambassador to France | |
|
In office September 1990 – November 1991 | |
| President | César Gaviria Trujillo |
| Preceded by | Fernando Rey Uribe |
| Succeeded by | Álvaro Gómez Hurtado |
| Senator of Colombia | |
|
In office 7 August 1990 – September 1990 | |
| Member of the Chamber of Representatives of Colombia | |
|
In office 7 August 1986 – 7 August 1990 | |
| Constituency | Cundinamarca |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
17 August 1944 Bogotá, D.C., Colombia |
| Nationality | Colombia |
| Political party | Colombian Liberal Party |
| Spouse(s) | Josefina Milagros Andrew Roca (1969-present) |
| Relations |
Alfonso López Michelsen (father) Alfonso López Pumarejo (grandfather) |
| Alma mater |
Georgetown University (B.Sc.) INSEAD (MBA) Columbia University (MA) |
| Profession | Economist |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Alfonso López Caballero (born 17 August 1944) is a Colombian economist and diplomat, the son and grandson of former Presidents of Colombia, Alfonso López Michelsen and Alfonso López Pumarejo respectively, and former congressman, government minister, ambassador to France, Canada, the United Kingdom, and presidential candidate.
Background
Alfonso López Caballero was born in Bogotá, D.C., Colombia to Alfonso López Michelsen and Cecilia Caballero Blanco on August 17, 1944 during the second presidency of his grandfather Alfonso López Pumarejo. He married on February 22, 1969 in Caracas, Venezuela to Josefina Milagros Andreu Roca.[1]
Educated first in the traditional Gimnasio Moderno of Bogotá, he finally concluded his secondary education in the United States after following his family into exile in 1952, when during the government of Mariano Ospina Pérez La Violencia against liberals targeted his family and burned down his grandfather's house. Afterwards he attended Georgetown University, his father's alma mater, where he received his Bachelor of Science in International Relations with an specialization in Economics, from then he moved to France where he attended the European Institute for Business Administration, INSEAD and received a Master of Business Administration. He moved back to the United States where he entered Columbia University received his Master's in Economics, re-enlisted as a PhD candidate in Economics but did not finish.
Career
He started his professional career in the economic sector, first as Assistant Manager of CitiBank in Colombia, and then as a consultant for Arthur Young & Co.
López Caballero was ambassador to France, from where he returned to serve president Gaviria as his minister for agriculture. He served as ambassador to Canada and then returned to Colombia to serve as minister of interior.
López Caballero's effectiveness and his lack of interest for the spotlight is what led president Pastrana to appoint him as one of the government's negotiators during the peace process with the FARC communist guerrillas. During the peace negotiations he earned the respect and the trust of the top members of the guerrilla group, mainly due to his clarity, his understanding of the country and its politics, and more importantly, to the sincerity and openness with which López Caballero faced the multiple discussions . Earning this recognition from the FARC was seen as quite remarkable by some commentators given that López Caballero was clearly a representative of the political, social and economic elite of the country .
Going against his father's ideas once again, López Caballero supported Álvaro Uribe from the beginning of his presidential campaign while López Michelsen supported Horacio Serpa. López Caballero was appointed ambassador to the United Kingdom by president Uribe where he was instrumental in strengthening commercial links and in gaining support for an offensive against the guerrillas, paramilitaries and organized crime .
References
- ↑ Restrepo Sáenz, José María; Rivas, Raimundo; Restrepo Posada, José (1995). Genealogías de Santa Fe de Bogotá: Volume 4 [Genealogies of Santa Fe de Bogotá: Volume 4] (in Spanish). Bogotá: Editorial Presencia. p. 389. OCLC 28546996.
Alfonso López Caballero ...Casado en Caracas el 22 de febrero de 1969, con doña Josefina Milagros Andreu Roca