Gustavo Rojas Pinilla

President of Colombia

12 March 1900 Tunja, Boyacá, Colombia

17 January 1975(1975-01-17) (74) Melgar, Tolima, Colombia

13 June 1953 (1953-06-13 )  – 10 May 1957 (1957-05-10 )

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Rojas and the second or maternal family name is Pinilla. Gustavo Rojas Pinilla19th President of ColombiaIn office 13 June 1953 (1953-06-13 )  – 10 May 1957 (1957-05-10 ) Preceded by Laureano Gómez CastroSucceeded by Gabriel París Gordillo (as President of the Military Junta) 25th Minister of Posts and Telegraphs of ColombiaIn office 3 December 1949 (1949-12-03 )  – 7 August 1950 (1950-08-07 ) PresidentMariano Ospina PérezPreceded by José Vicente Dávila TelloSucceeded by José Tomás Angulo Lourido Personal detailsBorn(1900-03-12 ) 12 March 1900 Tunja, Boyacá, ColombiaDied17 January 1975(1975-01-17) (aged 74) Melgar, Tolima, ColombiaNationalityColombianPolitical partyNational Popular AllianceSpouse(s)Carola Correa Londoño (1930–1975) Children Gustavo Emilio Rojas Correa María Eugenia Rojas Correa Carlos Rojas Correa Alma materJosé María Córdova Military School Tri-State Normal College (BCE, 1927) ProfessionCivil EngineerMilitary serviceAllegiance  ColombiaBranch/serviceArmyYears of service1920–1957RankGeneralBattles/wars Colombia-Peru War Korean War La Violencia Gustavo Rojas Pinilla (12 March 1900 – 17 January 1975) was a Colombian Army general, civil engineer, and politician who ruled as 19th President of Colombia as from June 1953 to May 1957. Rojas Pinilla gained prominence as a colonel during La Violencia, the period of civil strife in Colombia during the late 1940s that saw infighting between the ruling Conservatives and Liberal guerillas, and was named to the cabinet of Conservative President Mariano Ospina Pérez. In 1953, he mounted a successful coup d'état against Ospina's successor as president, Laureano Gómez Castro, imposing martial law. Seeking to reduce political violence, he ruled the country as a military dictatorship, implementing infrastructure programs and extending female suffrage. He was forced to step down due to public pressure in 1957. Rojas Pinilla founded the National Popular Alliance (ANAPO) in 1961 in opposition to the National Front, the power-sharing agreement which the Conservatives and Liberals had brokered after he had been deposed. He contested the 1970 presidential election but was defeated by the National Front candidate, Conservative lawyer Misael Pastrana Borrero. However, Rojas Pinilla and his supporters alleged that the election had been fraudulent and illegitimate; the results caused ANAPO supporters to form M-19 guerilla movement, which would contribute to the country's insurgency unrest in the second half of the 20th century.