Isaías Medina Angarita

Who was Isaías Medina Angarita?

Isaías Medina Angarita was a Venezuelan military and political leader, president of Venezuela from 1941 until 1945. He followed the path of his predecessor Eleazar López Contreras, and ruled the country's democratic transition process.

Medina was born in San Cristóbal, Venezuela. He served as War Minister from 1936 to 1941 under Contreras. In 1943, he founded the Venezuelan Democratic Party. Some in the Army considered his presidential regime too liberal while other political enemies accused him of being too conservative, and both sides were involved in a putsch to remove him from power on 18 October 1945. Medina died, aged 56, in Caracas.