Presidents

President of the "Estados Unidos de Colombia"

Aquileo Parra Gómez (1825 -1900)
Presidential term: 1876-1878
Born in Barichara.

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Writers, Poets and Intellectuals
(Arranged by date of birth)

Florentino González (1805-1875) – Writer, journalist, professor and politician.
González figures among the most recognized of Santander's 19th century writers. He was the author of many sociological and legal essays, such as, Essay on the Current Situation of the Colombian State. His works published on politics include, Elements of Administrative Science and About Impartiality and Justice. He was born in Cincelada.

Ismael Enrique Arciniegas (1865-1938) – Writer, poet and journalist.
The indisputable talent of this poet and writer has placed him in one of the highest positions in Colombian literature.
His books, Poetry, A hundred Poems, and Poetic Anthology have been translated into several languages.
He was also one of the greatest journalists of his time and founded The Impulse newspaper in Bucaramanga. Arciniegas was born in Curití.

José Camacho Carreño (1903-1940) – Writer, politician and journalist.
Some of this excellent writers works include, The Last Leopard, Defence of Soledad Agudelo, Economic Reflections, Florentino González: Memories, In Defence of the Jury and Sketches and Landscapes. He has also been recognized as a great speaker and journalist.
For several years of his illustrious career, he worked with El Tiempo newspaper. The author was born in Bucaramanga.

Tomás Vargas Osorio (1908-1941) – Writer, poet and intellectual.
Said to be the most representative poet of Santandereana culture, Vargas' short stories, poems, and article were published in many important newspapers and magazines. His best-known work is his book Return of Death, though his novel The Blood of Dreams is also highly acclaimed. He was born in Oiba.


Roberto García Peña (1910- 1993) – Journalist.
García Peña was a very prestigious Colombian journalist. He was editor of El Tiempo newspaper for 42 years, and later on, was named Emeritus Director of the paper. He held high diplomatic and governmental positions. He was born in Bucaramanga.

Carmen Ortiz de Gómez Mejía – Poet and journalist.
This writer is considered a most outstanding figure in Latin America. She penned seven books of poetry including, On the Edges of the Shadow , Poems , and The faces of Children . She was the editor of the Bucaramanga newspaper El Frente . She was also a member of the Academy of History of Bucaramanga and a member of the Academy of Philosophy and Letter of Bogotá. The poet was born in Piedecuesta in 1916

Pedro Gómez Valderrama (1923-1992) – Writer, journalist and politician.
This prominent politician and diplomat was also highly recognized in cultural circles. He authored short stories, novels and essays, all of which have been translated into several languages. Hi most important literary works are, The Other Ray of the Tiger, The Devil Signs, Inventions and Devices, and The Madmen Ship . Gómez Valderrama was the co-director of the literary journal Mito . He was born in Bucaramanga.

Abdón Espinosa Valderrama (1921-2018) Lawyer, politician, diplomat, journalist and writer.
Dr. Espinosa is a very distinguished lawyer, politician and journalist. He has held some influential positions during his career, such as President of the Monetary Policy Committee, Minister of Finance and Public Credit and member of the Liberal Party Board of Directors.
In addition, he represented the country as its ambassador to Spain . He has worked at El Tiempo newspaper since 1970, starting off as a columnist and subsequently becoming manager, deputy director and director in charge. His column, Espuma de los acontecimientos, appears weekly in that paper. Dr Espinosa is member of the Colombian Academy of Economic Sciences.
He earned the degree Doctor Honoris Causa in Economic, Administrative and Accounting Sciences from Universidad Autónoma de Bucaramanga and was decorated with the Gold Emblem of the university in 2008. He was born in Bucaramanga.

Dr. Augusto Espinosa Valderrama , brother of Dr. Abdón, was also an upright man and a brilliant politician and writer, who served the nation in high governmental posts. He was awarded many decorations and honours. Many places in the city of Bucaramanga have been named after him.

Hernando Valencia Goelkel (1928-2003) – Essayist, translator and literary critic.
This writer and movie critic was the co-founder of Mito Magazine and wrote columns for many others.
He authored Lesson of the Forgotten, The Old Art of Writing Novels, Movie Chronicles, and Book Chronicles, among others.
His hometown was Bucaramanga.