In the political history of Colombia, Virgilio Barco Vargas is one of the names the record keeps returning to.
The record lists Virgilio Barco Vargas as President of Colombia (1986-1990).
Virgilio Barco Vargas was born at Cúcuta in 1921. His recorded nationality is Colombia. He was educated at National University of Colombia and Boston University.
Twentieth-century politics was conducted under the shadow of two world wars, decolonisation and the Cold War, and broadcast to electorates that could watch it happen.
He served as ambassador of Colombia to the United States, President of Colombia (1986–1990) and Mayor of Bogota (1966–1969).
His political affiliation is recorded as Colombian Liberal Party.
What survives of a political career is usually not the speeches but the institutions left behind.
Recognition followed: Collar of the Order of Isabella the Catholic (1988), Grand Collar of the Order of Prince Henry and Grand Cross of the Order of the Sun of Peru (1988).
That the career was made in Colombia is not incidental: the institutions available, the franchise, and the constraints of the moment all shaped what could be attempted.
Virgilio Barco Vargas died in 1997, aged 76. The assessment continues, as it does for anyone who held power - which is the ordinary fate of a political life.
Achievements
- ambassador of Colombia to the United States
- President of Colombia (1986–1990)
- Mayor of Bogota (1966–1969)
- Minister of Finance and Public Credit (1962–1962)
- Collar of the Order of Isabella the Catholic — 1988
- Grand Collar of the Order of Prince Henry
- Grand Cross of the Order of the Sun of Peru — 1988
- Educated at National University of Colombia and Boston University
