JORGE ELIÉCER GAITÁN

Jorge Gaitan was a Colombian politician and jurist, Mayor of Bogotá in 1936, minister and dissident Liberal candidate for President of the Republic for the period 1946-1950 Party. His assassination in Bogotá produced massive popular protests known as The Bogotazo.

In the presidential elections of 1946 the Liberal Party is divided between the candidacies of Gabriel Turbay (supported by the official sector of the party) and Gaitán more inclined to the left (supported by the popular sectors) and the division facilitated the rise of conservative Mariano Ospina Pérez. 

In the legislative elections of Colombia of 1947, where he managed an undisputed majority in the Senate (35 Liberal senators "22 gaitanistas-13 directoristas" and 28 Conservatives) and House (74 liberal representatives "44 gaitanistas-30 directoristas" and 57 for conservatives). On October 24, 1947 Gaitán was proclaimed sole leader of the Liberal Party. 

In early 1948 upon learning the news of the slaughter of several liberal in several towns in the country at the hands of conservatives, Gaitán organized several marches among which are known as the "march of torches" and especially the "March of Silence" which raises a plea to President Ospina to help stop the violence and which raises a few hours of silence where only flags and banners moved by the wind could be heard.

On April 9, 1948, after defending well into the night Lieutenant Jesús María Cortés in court, Gaitán rested and then left at noon on Friday, 9, accompanied by several friends from the building Agustín Nieto (place of work) for lunch at the Hotel Continental and waiting several meetings that would have that day. 

A man, hypothetically, Juan Roa Sierra, was waiting at the entrance of the building and shot against a gun, causing fatal injuries.

Gaitán was taken to the Central Hospital where he died about 2:05 pm. The murder provoked a violent popular reaction and government repression known as The Bogotazo 1425 that destroyed buildings in downtown Bogota.