Gustavo Adolfo Bell Lemus (born 1 February 1957) is a Colombian politician, lawyer, economist and diplomat who served as vice president of Colombia from 1998 to 2002 under the administration of

Andrés Pastrana Arango Andrés Pastrana Arango (born 17 August 1954) is a Colombian politician who was the 30th President of Colombia from 1998 to 2002, following in the footsteps of his father, Misael Pastrana Borrero, who was president from 1970 to 1974. Early ...

, during which time he also served concurrently as High Commissioner for Human Rights of Colombia and as Minister of National Defence between 2001 and 2002. He also served as the Colombian ambassador to

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

from 2011 to 2017. In 1992, as the 53rd governor of Atlántico, he became the first popularly elected governor of the department following the enactment of the 1991 Colombian Constitution.

Career

Education

Bell attended the

Pontifical Xavierian University The Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (English: Xavierian Pontifical University) is a private university in Colombia founded in 1623. It is one of the oldest and most traditional Colombian universities, directed by the Society of Jesus, with its ...

where he obtained a

double degree Joint degrees are academic qualifications awarded through integrated curricula often jointly coordinated and delivered by multiple higher education institutions, sometimes across different countries. Graduates may receive a single qualification ...

laws Law is a set of rules that are created and are law enforcement, enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a Socia ...

and

socioeconomics Economic sociology is the study of the social cause and effect of various economic phenomena. The field can be broadly divided into a classical period and a contemporary one, known as "new economic sociology". The classical period was concerned ...

. He completed graduate studies at the University of the Andes on a Constitutional Bicentenary scholarship from the Bank of the Republic olombia the Escuela de Estudios Hispano-Americanos at

Seville Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...

on a research scholarship from

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, and

St Antony's College, Oxford St Antony's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1950 as the result of the gift of French merchant Sir Antonin Besse of Aden, St Antony's specialises in international relations, economics, politic ...

on a

British Council The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lang ...

scholarship, where he also obtained a Ph.D. in

modern history The modern era or the modern period is considered the current historical period of human history. It was originally applied to the history of Europe and Western history for events that came after the Middle Ages, often from around the year 1500, ...

. In addition to his academic studies, Bell was one of the founding members and part of the faculty of the

University of the North The University of Limpopo () is a public university in the Limpopo Province, South Africa. It was formed on 1 January 2005, by merger of the University of the North and the Medical University of South Africa (MEDUNSA). These previous institutio ...

Barranquilla Barranquilla () is the capital district of the Atlántico department in Colombia. It is located near the Caribbean Sea and is the largest city and third port in the Caribbean region of Colombia, Caribbean coast region; as of 2018, it had a popul ...

Journalism

Bell began his work in journalism in '' El Heraldo'', and quickly rose to become one of the most influential journalists in northern Colombia. While working as

Executive Editor Executive ( exe., exec., execu.) may refer to: Role or title * Executive, a senior management role in an organization ** Chief executive officer (CEO), one of the highest-ranking corporate officers (executives) or administrators ** Executive dir ...

of ''El Heraldo'', Bell suffered an assassination attempt but escaped unharme

Governorship

In 1991 Bell run for governor of the

Atlántico Department Atlántico (, ) is a Departments of Colombia, department of Colombia, located in northern Colombia with the Caribbean Sea to its north, the Bolívar Department to its west and south separated by the Canal del Dique, and the Magdalena Department ...

as an independent candidate, he became the first elected governor by popular vote of this department for the period between 1992 and 1994. (governors in Colombia were appointed by the president before the constitution of 1991)

Vice presidency (1998–2002)

After spending three years studying in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, Bell returned to Colombia in 1997 and joined the presidential campaign of

Andrés Pastrana Andres or Andrés may refer to: *Andres, Illinois, an unincorporated community in Will County, Illinois, US *Andres, Pas-de-Calais, a commune in Pas-de-Calais, France *Andres (name) *Hurricane Andres * "Andres" (song), a 1994 song by L7 See also ...

. Pastrana offered him the vice presidency of Colombia, and they were elected for the 1998–2002 presidential period. Vice President Bell was in charge of the Colombian Office for

Human Rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...

issues between 1998 and 2001, year in which President Pastrana also appointed him the Ministry of National Defence.

Ambassadorship

On 29 October 2010, President

Juan Manuel Santos Calderón Juan Manuel Santos Calderón (; born 10 August 1951) is a Colombian politician who was the President of Colombia from 2010 to 2018. He was the sole recipient of the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize. An economist by training and a journalist by trade, ...

designated Bell to be

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...

of Colombia to the

Republic of Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

stating "I think better ambassador to Cuba would not be found. We want to maintain a special relationship with Cuba and therefore we will send an ambassador of high carat, as Dr. Bell". On 7 March 2011, Bell was sworn in by President Santos on as Ambassador to Cuba in a ceremony at the Palace of Nariño. Bell served as ambassador until 2017 and was succeeded by Araceli Morales López.

Personal life

Bell was married to María Mercedes De La Espriella and has one daughter named María Alexandr

References

people daily – Gustavo Bellmedios para la paz – Atentado contra la vida de Gustavo Bell

, - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Gustavo 1957 births Living people People from Barranquilla Pontificia Universidad Javeriana alumni Alumni of St Antony's College, Oxford Colombian governors 20th-century Colombian historians Colombian journalists Colombian male journalists Colombian Conservative Party politicians Governors of Atlántico Department Vice presidents of Colombia Ministers of defense of Colombia Ambassadors of Colombia to Cuba