Luis Herrera Campins
Encyclopedia
Luis Antonio Herrera Campins (May 4, 1925 – November 9, 2007) was President of Venezuela
from 1979 to 1984. He was elected to one five-year term in 1978. He was a member of the COPEI
party.
, Portuguesa
. He was 21 years old when the Social Christian Party Copei
was created, being one of its founders in Acarigua
, Portuguesa
. At La Salle school of Barquisimeto
, completed his high school degree in 1942. During that time, at the age of fifteen, started to work at politics and journalism, working for the newspapers El impulso, Surcos and the weekly magazine of the Student National Union. His law studies from the Central University of Venezuela
were suspended in 1952 and he was imprisoned for four months in the Cárcel Modelo (Model Prison) by the dictatorship of Marcos Pérez Jiménez
. Shortly after, he continued pursuing his college degree, graduating as lawyer in 1955, at the Universidad de Santiago de Compostela.
Luis Herrera started parliamentary work in 1947, then was elected deputy to the Legislative Assembly of Portuguesa. From 1959 to 1979, in four constitutional periods, was deputy or senator representing Lara
and Portuguesa
at the National Congress. On March 12, 1979, became the President of Venezuela after his election on December 3, 1978.
Luis Herrera won the December 1978 presidential elections for COPEI, replacing the social democrat Carlos Andrés Pérez
of the Democratic Action (AD) party, who had nationalised the oil industry at the height of the boom in 1975. Oil revenues continued to rise during the early years of Herrera's presidency. Herrera had a dirigiste view of the Government's economic role, which involved channelling public funds into agricultural and industrial projects, paying generous subsidies and controlling the prices of many goods. His Government continued President Pérez's policy of borrowing on a world market awash with petrodollars, and by the early 1980s Venezuela owed the banks more than $20 billion. The Government's tacit assumption was that oil prices would remain high forever, and would sustain high levels of public and private consumption.
Luis Herrera developed a program of cultural development and reformed the education program, implementing the common basic cycle of nine years. He also tried to make adjustments to the democratic system. In regard to economics, he began with the policy of liberalisation of prices and at the end of his mandate introduced a series of exchange measures with dramatic results. The Venezuelan bolívar
had been pegged at 4.30 to the dollar, but ended up something more than 15 bolivars by unit (Black Friday, 28 February 1983) - this produced a misalignment in the national economy. This was apparently the result of a “computational error” at the Central bank of Venezuela, declaring “collapsed” the international reserves.
Moved in part by territorial claims, Herrera developed a muscular foreign policy. He signed an agreement with Mexico in 1980 to jointly provide Central American and Caribbean countries with a steady flow of oil, a precursor of Hugo Chávez’s wide-reaching oil diplomacy in the developing world. In 1982 Luis Herrera sided with Argentina
in its war
with Britain over the Falklands, adroitly exploiting anti-British and anti-American sentiment to boost his flagging popularity. His support for Argentina came while he was asserting Venezuela’s longstanding claim to more than half of neighboring Guyana
, a former British colony.
In 2001 Herrera made headlines when gunmen stole his car. Afterward, he could be seen on foot wearing old clothes and carrying his own groceries. He underwent surgery for two years for an abdominal aneurysm that led to a kidney infection and other complications. By the time he died in 2007, he was already retired from Venezuelan politics. Luis Herrera is survived by his wife Betty Urdaneta and three sons.
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
from 1979 to 1984. He was elected to one five-year term in 1978. He was a member of the COPEI
COPEI
Copei – Social Christian Party of Venezuela is a third way political party in Venezuela. The name stands for Comité de Organización Política Electoral Independiente...
party.
Early Life and career
Luis Herrera was born in AcariguaAcarigua
Acarigua is a city in northwestern Venezuela, in the northern part of the state of Portuguesa at coordinates . The city's population is 116 551 but now estimated at 208,495 for 2008. Formerly the state capital, it is a major commercial center for the northern Llanos region of South America. It is...
, Portuguesa
Portuguesa (state)
Portuguesa State is one of the 23 states of Venezuela.The state capital is Guanare, founded in 1591.Portuguesa State covers a total surface area of 15,200 km² and, in 2007, had an estimated population of 873,400.-Municipalities:...
. He was 21 years old when the Social Christian Party Copei
COPEI
Copei – Social Christian Party of Venezuela is a third way political party in Venezuela. The name stands for Comité de Organización Política Electoral Independiente...
was created, being one of its founders in Acarigua
Acarigua
Acarigua is a city in northwestern Venezuela, in the northern part of the state of Portuguesa at coordinates . The city's population is 116 551 but now estimated at 208,495 for 2008. Formerly the state capital, it is a major commercial center for the northern Llanos region of South America. It is...
, Portuguesa
Portuguesa (state)
Portuguesa State is one of the 23 states of Venezuela.The state capital is Guanare, founded in 1591.Portuguesa State covers a total surface area of 15,200 km² and, in 2007, had an estimated population of 873,400.-Municipalities:...
. At La Salle school of Barquisimeto
Barquisimeto
Barquisimeto is the capital city of the State of Lara located in west central Venezuela, halfway between Caracas and Maracaibo on the Turbio River.-Overview:...
, completed his high school degree in 1942. During that time, at the age of fifteen, started to work at politics and journalism, working for the newspapers El impulso, Surcos and the weekly magazine of the Student National Union. His law studies from the Central University of Venezuela
Central University of Venezuela
The Central University of Venezuela is a premier public University of Venezuela located in Caracas...
were suspended in 1952 and he was imprisoned for four months in the Cárcel Modelo (Model Prison) by the dictatorship of Marcos Pérez Jiménez
Marcos Pérez Jiménez
Marcos Evangelista Pérez Jiménez was a soldier and Presidents of Venezuela from 1952 to 1958.-Career:Marcos Evangelista Pérez Jiménez was born in Michelena, Táchira State. His father, Juan Pérez Bustamante, was a farmer; his mother, Adela Jiménez, a schoolteacher...
. Shortly after, he continued pursuing his college degree, graduating as lawyer in 1955, at the Universidad de Santiago de Compostela.
Luis Herrera started parliamentary work in 1947, then was elected deputy to the Legislative Assembly of Portuguesa. From 1959 to 1979, in four constitutional periods, was deputy or senator representing Lara
Lara
Lara may refer to:Places:* Lara , Venezuela* Lara, Victoria, township in Australia* Electoral district of Lara, an electoral district in Victoria, Australia* Lara, Antalya, urban district in Turkey* Lara de los Infantes in Spain...
and Portuguesa
Portuguesa (state)
Portuguesa State is one of the 23 states of Venezuela.The state capital is Guanare, founded in 1591.Portuguesa State covers a total surface area of 15,200 km² and, in 2007, had an estimated population of 873,400.-Municipalities:...
at the National Congress. On March 12, 1979, became the President of Venezuela after his election on December 3, 1978.
Presidency
| Venezuelan Presidential election 1978 | |||||||||||||||
| Results | |||||||||||||||
EWLINE
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Luis Herrera won the December 1978 presidential elections for COPEI, replacing the social democrat Carlos Andrés Pérez
Carlos Andrés Pérez
Carlos Andrés Pérez Rodríguez , also known as CAP and often referred to as El Gocho , was a Venezuelan politician, President of Venezuela from 1974 to 1979 and again from 1989 to 1993. His first presidency was known as the Saudi Venezuela due to its economic and social prosperity thanks to...
of the Democratic Action (AD) party, who had nationalised the oil industry at the height of the boom in 1975. Oil revenues continued to rise during the early years of Herrera's presidency. Herrera had a dirigiste view of the Government's economic role, which involved channelling public funds into agricultural and industrial projects, paying generous subsidies and controlling the prices of many goods. His Government continued President Pérez's policy of borrowing on a world market awash with petrodollars, and by the early 1980s Venezuela owed the banks more than $20 billion. The Government's tacit assumption was that oil prices would remain high forever, and would sustain high levels of public and private consumption.
Luis Herrera developed a program of cultural development and reformed the education program, implementing the common basic cycle of nine years. He also tried to make adjustments to the democratic system. In regard to economics, he began with the policy of liberalisation of prices and at the end of his mandate introduced a series of exchange measures with dramatic results. The Venezuelan bolívar
Venezuelan bolívar
The bolívar fuerte is the currency of Venezuela since 1 January 2008. It is subdivided into 100 céntimos and replaced the bolívar at the rate of Bs.F. 1 = Bs...
had been pegged at 4.30 to the dollar, but ended up something more than 15 bolivars by unit (Black Friday, 28 February 1983) - this produced a misalignment in the national economy. This was apparently the result of a “computational error” at the Central bank of Venezuela, declaring “collapsed” the international reserves.
Moved in part by territorial claims, Herrera developed a muscular foreign policy. He signed an agreement with Mexico in 1980 to jointly provide Central American and Caribbean countries with a steady flow of oil, a precursor of Hugo Chávez’s wide-reaching oil diplomacy in the developing world. In 1982 Luis Herrera sided with Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
in its war
Falklands War
The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...
with Britain over the Falklands, adroitly exploiting anti-British and anti-American sentiment to boost his flagging popularity. His support for Argentina came while he was asserting Venezuela’s longstanding claim to more than half of neighboring Guyana
Guyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
, a former British colony.
Herrera's cabinet (1979-1984)
| Ministries | ||
|---|---|---|
| OFFICE | NAME | TERM |
| President | Luis Herrera Campins | 1979–1984 |
| Home Affairs | Rafael Montes de Oca | 1979–1982 |
| Luciano Valero Luciano Valero Luciano Valero is a Venezuelan politician. He was the appointed Governor of Barinas from 1959 to 1964, and again from 1969 to 1973. He was appointed Governor of the Federal District of Venezuela by President Luis Herrera Campins in the early 1980s... |
1982–1984 | |
| Outer Relations | José Alberto Zambrano Velasco | 1979–1984 |
| Finance | Luis Ugueto | 1979–1982 |
| Arturo Sosa | 1982–1984 | |
| Defense | Fernando Paredes Bello | 1979 |
| Luis Rangel Burgoing | 1979–1980 | |
| Tomás Abreu Rescaniere | 1980–1981 | |
| Bernardo Leal Puchi | 1981–1982 | |
| Vicente Narváez Churión | 1982–1983 | |
| Humberto Alcalde Álvarez | 1983–1984 | |
| Development | Manuel Quijada | 1979–1981 |
| José Enrique Porras Omaña | 1981–1984 | |
| Transport and communications | Vinicio Carrera | 1979–1983 |
| Francisco Lara García | 1983–1984 | |
| Education | Rafael Fernández Heres | 1979–1982 |
| Felipe Montilla | 1982–1984 | |
| Justice | José Guillermo Andueza | 1979–1981 |
| J. Reinaldo Chalbaud Zerpa | 1981–1984 | |
| Mines and Hydrocarbons | Humberto Calderón Berti | 1979–1983 |
| José Ignacio Moreno León | 1983–1984 | |
| Environment | Vinicio Carrera | 1979–1983 |
| Francisco Lara García | 1983–1984 | |
| Agriculture | Luciano Valero | 1979–1981 |
| José Luis Zapata Escalona | 1981–1982 | |
| Nidia Villegas | 1982–1984 | |
| Labor | Reinaldo Rodríguez Navarro | 1979–1981 |
| Rangel Quintero Castañeda | 1981–1984 | |
| Health and Social Assistance | Alfonso Benzecri | 1979–1981 |
| Luis González Herrera | 1981–1984 | |
| Urban Development | Orlando Orozco | 1979–1982 |
| María Cristina Maldonado | 1982–1984 | |
| Information and Tourism | José Luis Zapata Escalona | 1979–1981 |
| Enrique Pérez Olivares | 1981–1982 | |
| Guido Díaz Peña | 1982–1984 | |
| Youth | Charles Brewer Carías | 1979–1982 |
| Guillermo Yépez Boscán | 1982–1984 | |
| Secretary of Presidency | Ramón Guillermo Aveledo | 1979–1984 |
| Office of Coordination and Planification | Ricardo Martínez | 1979–1982 |
| Maritza Izaguirre | 1982–1984 | |
Later life
By the time Herrera's term ended, the economy was in meltdown, poverty and hardship were widespread and the voters turned on the ruling Christian Democrat, ejecting the party from office in the December 1983 elections. After the end of his presidency Herrera remained influential in the Copei party, becoming its president in 1995.In 2001 Herrera made headlines when gunmen stole his car. Afterward, he could be seen on foot wearing old clothes and carrying his own groceries. He underwent surgery for two years for an abdominal aneurysm that led to a kidney infection and other complications. By the time he died in 2007, he was already retired from Venezuelan politics. Luis Herrera is survived by his wife Betty Urdaneta and three sons.