Carlos Delgado Chalbaud: Life, Military & Political Career
Carlos Delgado Chalbaud
Carlos Román Delgado Chalbaud Gómez (January 20, 1909 – Caracas, November 13, 1950) was a Venezuelan political and military figure. Known as Carlos Delgado Chalbaud, he later used his father’s surnames, Román Delgado Chalbaud, as a tribute. His mother was Doña Luisa Elena Gomez Velutini.
At the age of four, his father was imprisoned at La Rotunda by order of Juan Vicente Gómez. For their safety, his family went into exile in Paris, France.
Military Career
He studied engineering in France. After returning from Paris, he joined the army with the rank of Captain. He participated in the Falke expedition, which landed on the coast of Cumaná on August 11, 1929, aiming to overthrow Juan Vicente Gómez. This operation failed, and his father died. He then returned to Paris to complete his engineering studies.
Political Career
As a distinguished officer, he was associated with the group that ousted General Isaías Medina Angarita in the 1945 coup. He became a member of the Revolutionary Government Junta, Minister of Defense during the presidency of Rómulo Gallegos, and later a member of the military junta that ousted Gallegos in the 1948 coup (along with Marcos Pérez Jiménez and Luis Llovera Páez). He was a candidate to lead the country after the military junta convened elections, but his candidacy was cut short by his assassination.
Murder
Although the mastermind is not confirmed, many suspect Pérez Jiménez. However, this is unlikely since the wife of General Marcos Pérez Jiménez, Doña Flor Maria Cardona Chalbaud Perez Jimenez, was a cousin of Colonel Carlos Delgado Chalbaud. His murder appears to be the result of a kidnapping carried out by Rafael Simon Urbina. Urbina, who had been denied reinstatement of his property after a trial for embezzlement during the government of General Eleazar López Contreras, had been spurned by Delgado Chalbaud several times. The day after his capture, Delgado Chalbaud was killed by members of the National Security Directorate. This murder caused a national political crisis and forced a reorganization of the junta. A “Governing Board” was formed, with Dr. Germán Suárez Flamerich taking charge. Marcos Pérez Jiménez became president in 1952 and was overthrown on January 23, 1958.
Works of the Government of Marcos Pérez Jiménez
This government undertook numerous projects of high quality, many of which improved communications. Among them were the Caracas-La Guaira highway, the Circle of the Armed Forces, the Orinoco Iron and Steel Plant, the Rio Caroni Electrification System, the Centro Simón Bolívar, workers’ residential developments, and the City Paradise Tablitas, and the holiday city of Caracas.
However, these advances could not conceal the injustices that occurred during his tenure and the widespread opposition to the dictatorship.