Background
Lleras was born in Bogotá, on April 12, 1908. He was the third son of the prominent physician and researcher, Doctor Federico Lleras and Amalia Restrepo.
Lleras was born in Bogotá, on April 12, 1908. He was the third son of the prominent physician and researcher, Doctor Federico Lleras and Amalia Restrepo.
Lleras studied in Louisiana Salle Institute in Bogotá and later studied jurisprudence at Universidad Nacional de Colombia.
He died in Bogotá, on September 27, 1994. He obtained his Law degree in 1930. Lleras was a cousin of Alberto Lleras Camargo, another important Colombian politician and President of Colombia.
Married to Cecilia de la Fuente, Lleras was the father of Clemencia (d) - mother of Senator German Vargas Lleras-, Carlos - lawyer, journalist and former Ambassador of Colombia in the United States of America-, Maria Ines (d) and Fernando - poet, writer and musician.
Lleras became involved in politics at an early age. In 1929, he is elected by the liberal party as delegate to the National Convention of Apulo.
By age 21 he was a member in the national committee of the Colombian Liberal Party. Lleras is elected to the state senate of Cundinamarca, and later Member of Parliament as congressman in the House of Representatives.
In 1932, during the so-called “Liberal Republic”, Lleras is appointed General Comptroller of the country and in 1938 he is appointed as Minister of Finance (Ministro de Hacienda) during the presidency of Eduardo Santos.
He is elected as Chairman of the Liberal Party several times and Senator of the Republic. Lleras runs for president of Colombia for the first time in 1944, but his bid is unsuccessful. Later, on November 27, 1965, he accepts the nomination of the liberal party, and receives the endorsement of the conservative party.
After the presidency, Lleras founded and produced the political magazine “Nueva Frontera”.
Lleras is inaugurated as President of Colombia on August 7, 1966, and he calls his administration de era of national transformation (“Transformación Nacional”). During his administration, the Colombian Institute for Agrarian Reform (INCORA) promoted the redistribution of usable land to the peasants and unemployed workers in the country, issuing more than 60,000 titles in 1968 and 1969 alone.
Lleras implemented an aggressive and broad program of social and economic reforms and created the following agencies and institutions: the national savings fund (“Fondo Nacional del Ahorro”). The Colombian Institute for the family wellbeing (“Instituto Colombiano de Bienestar Familiar”).
The institute to protect non renewable resources (“Instituto de Recursos Naturales no Renovables”).
The agency to promote exports (“Fondo de Promoción de Exportaciones” ‘PROEXPO’). The national agency of Colombian culture (“Instituto Colombiano de Cultura” ‘Colcultura’). The nacional agency for the construction of schools (“Instituto Colombiano de Construcciones Escolares” ‘Icce’).
And the national institution to promote and finance superior education (“Instituto Colombiano para el Fomento de la Educación Superior” ‘Icfes’).
This makes him the official candidate of the “National Front”, and he wins the election in 1966.
He was also a member of Phi Iota Alpha, the oldest inter-collegiate Greek-letter organization for international Latin American students.