Juan Manuel García Grüber (September 7, 1904 – September 21, 1997) was a

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

n economist, financier, writer,

diplomat A diplomat (from ; romanization, romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, nongovernmental institution to conduct diplomacy with one ...

, and philosopher. He served as Venezuela's ambassador to seven different countries.

Early life and family

He was born in

Guasipati Guasipati is a town that serves as the administrative seat of Roscio Municipality in the state of Bolívar, Venezuela. It was founded on 27 September 1757. Its economy depends highly on the gold of its land and that of El Callao.The city is loc ...

, Bolívar state, Venezuela. He was the eldest son of Doña Mercedes Grüber, of German descent, and Dr. Juan Manuel García Parra, a leading figure in abdominal surgery, creator of the first formula known to favor high levels of fertility in women and founder of the Garcia Parra Hospital in his native Guasipati.

Career

After completing his studies in economics and finance, he held the position of Chief of the Justice Section at the Department of Internal Affairs. 1953, he became the Venezuelan General Consul to Peru and was subsequently appointed as the Venezuelan Ambassador to Nicaragua, Panama, Cuba, Peru and Costa Rica. He was standing right next to Nicaraguan President

Anastasio Somoza García Anastasio Somoza García (1 February 1896 – 29 September 1956) was the leader of Nicaragua from 1936 until his assassination in 1956. He was officially the 21st President of Nicaragua from 1 January 1937 to 1 May 1947 and from 21 May 1950 unt ...

when he was shot to death by

Rigoberto López Pérez Rigoberto López Pérez (May 13, 1929 – September 21, 1956) was a Nicaraguan poet, artist and composer. He assassinated Anastasio Somoza García, the longtime dictator of Nicaragua. On September 21, 1981, 25 years after his death, the Sand ...

in 1956. Throughout his lifetime, he wrote extensively on oil, democracy, arts, renaissance and various cultural subjects. Dr. García Grüber participated in the rescue of his family when they were held captive in revolutionary Nicaragua. In 1979, a plane from the Venezuelan Air Force piloted by his wife's nephew, Captain Raúl Hernández, was hastily sent in order to help set the hostages free. According to different news broadcasts at the time, the family was a victim of the Somoza guerrilla (Sandinista) and provisions had been made to kill them right before they attempted to escape through the nearest airport. Their liberation was eventually possible when the Venezuelan aircraft opened fire against

Sandinista The Sandinista National Liberation Front (, FSLN) is a socialist political party in Nicaragua. Its members are called Sandinistas () in both English and Spanish. The party is named after Augusto César Sandino, who led the Nicaraguan resistan ...

soldiers who tried to thwart the operation. Later in life, he became president of the Venezuelan Institute for Hispanic Culture in

Caracas Caracas ( , ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas (CCS), is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the northern p ...

. In his life as a writer, he became a prominent columnist for the newspaper el Universal of Caracas, where he criticized major aspects of democracy in Venezuela and the type of politics being conducted. Dr. García Grüber received several awards for his achievements (and was recognized as a peer by the most respected Hispanic language and literature academicians) which included, among others, the Order of the Liberator Simón Bolívar, Order of the Ibero American Chamber, Venezuelan Red Cross Order in its first degree plus two hundred or so medals. He was a highly esteemed figure both in his native Venezuela as well as abroad. His death brought great grief among those who knew him, particularly noted personalities which included former President Rafael Caldera and his wife Alicia Pietri de Caldera, dear friends of his. Dr. García Grüber and his wife met Juan Carlos de Borbón, King of Spain, on his state visit to Venezuela in 1977. His strong ties to the embassies of Spain, Colombia, Perú, Panamá and Nicaragua account for his numerous accolades in the diplomatic and cultural fields. His work as a universal writer was published by influential editorial houses in Venezuela as he became an incisive columnist in well-known local newspapers. He regularly condemned his country's political ways and the ever-growing scourge of corruption in Latin America. He had a long time personal and professional association with his brother in law, Dr. Jorge Gómez Mantellini, former Governor of Caracas. As part of his duties as head of the Venezuelan Institute for Hispanic Culture, he unveiled the first statue of Spanish monarch, Isabel La Católica, ever to grace a Caracas square.

Personal life

He was married to Bertha Domínguez Urbano-Taylor, a sibling of Ricardo Domínguez Urbano-Taylor. They were grandchildren of Countess Beatriz Ursban Taylor of New England He had two daughters, Bertha García-Grüber D. and Morella García-Grüber D., and one son, John García-Grüber D., who died in infancy. He had grandchildren through his daughter Morella Garcia Dominguez.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Garcia Gruber, Juan 1904 births 1997 deaths 20th-century Venezuelan economists 20th-century Venezuelan philosophers Venezuelan male writers Venezuelan financial businesspeople Ambassadors of Venezuela to Nicaragua Ambassadors of Venezuela to Panama Ambassadors of Venezuela to Cuba Ambassadors of Venezuela to Peru Ambassadors of Venezuela to Costa Rica People from Bolívar (state)