Gustavo Rojas Pinilla

Gustavo Rojas Pinilla (born in the city of Tunja, Boyacá on March 12, 1900 died in Melgar, Tolima on January 17, 1975) was a Colombian General, military dictator of Colombia from 1953 to 1957 and Colombian political figure, as well as a 1970 presidential candidate on behalf of the National Popular Alliance, "Alianza Nacional Popular",(ANAPO) political movement that he founded. He was the son of Julio Rojas and Hermecia Pinilla.

Early years and education

Gustavo Rojas began his career in the school of cadets " Escuela de Cadetes" of Bogotá in 1917. He obtained his degree in 1920. In 1923 while serving in Manizales, Caldas, he was promoted to lieutenant in the army. He became dissatisfied with the army and in 1924 he requested permission to retire from active service so that he could study Civil Engineering in Three State College, in the United States where he obtained the title of civil engineer in 1927. From there he started taking part in the construction of highways and other works of engineering as part of his military career.

War with Peru

In 1932, Rojas was called to the front lines in order to defend the country in the war against Perú. The following year he was assigned to Buenaventura's port as commander of the Coast Battery and military engineer of the region in case of a Peruvian attack. In 1936, he became an engineer of the technical department of the Colombian Army munitions factory on behalf of which he was sent on a special mission to Germany to obtain the machinery necessary to make ammunitions in Bogotá. On his return to Colombia he was nominated as chief of the technical department of the munitions factory.

Colombian envoy to the United States

In 1943, he was sent to the United States to acquire weapons and other machinery for the Colombian military. In 1944, he became assistant director of the School of War, and in 1945 the director of Civil Aeronautics. It was there where he presented his project for airports in Colombia under the name " Tracks of landing in Colombia ", which served as dissertation for his promotion to colonel of the Army, a plan which he would subsequently bring into being with the El Dorado Airport and other airports during his later presidency.

La Violencia

In 1946, already a colonel, Rojas was nominated as commander of the First Brigade in Tunja and in 1948 was named commander of the Third Brigade in Cali. There, he gained major recognition in the country for having managed to appease the rebellion that happened in this region as a consequence of the assassination of the popular leader Jorge Eliécer Gaitán in April 9, 1948, for which he was honored by the incumbent Conservative president Mariano Ospina. On October 11 of the following year, he was promoted to General and on October 19 assigned to the General Direction of the National Army. On December 3 of the same year Rojas was named Minister of Post Office and Telegraphs (nowadays so-called Department of Communications) in the government of Mariano Ospina.

General of the Colombian Armed Forces

In 1950, he was nominated as a delegate for Colombia to the United Nations in Washington, and as such he inspected the battalion Colombia that was fighting against communism during the Korean War. In 1952, he was designated general of the Armed forces of Colombia by stand-in president Roberto Urdaneta during the Conservative government of Laureano Gómez.

Coup d' etat

On June 13, 1953, Rojas seized power by means of a coup d'état supported by Liberals and Conservatives.

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