Rafael Caldera
Rafael Caldera was born on January 24, 1916. See ranking, bio blurb, and everyone else born that day.
About Rafael Caldera
Rafael Antonio Caldera Rodríguez (Spanish pronunciation: [rafaˈel anˈtonjo kalˈdeɾa roˈðɾiɣes] ; 24 January 1916 – 24 December 2009) was a Venezuelan politician, academic, and author who served as the 46th and 51st president of Venezuela from 1969 to 1974 and from 1994 to 1999. He co-founded the Christian Democratic party COPEI and helped draft the 1961 Constitution. He was one of the leading figures in Venezuelan democratic politics during the second half of the 20th century and a pioneer of the Christian Democratic movement in Latin America. During his first presidency, Caldera pursued a policy of national pacification that ended the country's long-running left-wing insurgency. His administration oversaw Venezuela's first peaceful democratic transfer of power from the governing party to the opposition, restored diplomatic relations with socialist countries, and enacted measures that paved the way for the nationalization of the oil industry. After serving in the Senate and holding leadership positions in several international organizations, Caldera was elected to a second presidential term in 1993. His administration faced a severe banking crisis, recession, and falling oil prices, and implemented economic reforms while promoting anti-corruption initiatives and labour and social security reforms. It also included the pardon of participants in the 1992 coup attempts, including Hugo Chávez, who was elected president in 1998. In addition to his political career, Caldera taught law for over two decades, published numerous books and essays on law, politics, history, and Christian Democracy, and was a member of the Venezuelan National Academy of Language and the Venezuelan National Academy of Political and Social Sciences.