Hernando Botero

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Fernando Botero Zea was born in Mexico City, the first son of artist Fernando Botero and Gloria Zea, who served as Minister of Culture of Colombia from 1974 to 1982. His parents divorced in 1960. Botero Zea has a sister named Lina, an art curator and interior designer, and a brother named Juan Carlos, a writer. When Botero was four, his family moved to New York because his maternal grandfather, German Zea Hernandez, had been appointed Colombia's Ambassador to the United Nations. In New York from 1960 to 1967, Botero studied at the Trent School and then at Trinity School. From 1967 to 1969, he boarded at the Fessenden School in Boston, Massachusetts, where he was elected president of his class. In 1973, his mother Gloria Zea and her then husband Andrés Uribe Campuzano were kidnapped; they were released after paying ransom. Due to the risk of further kidnappings, the family decided to leave the country. Botero Zea entered the Ecole Nouvelle de la Suisse Romande in 1973, graduating in 1974 with an International Baccalaureate. He studied at the Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris, obtaining a Certificat d'Études Politiques in 1975. Returning to Colombia, he graduated from the Universidad de los Andes with a degree in Economics and Political Science in 1980. He then earned two master's degrees from Harvard University: an MBA from Harvard Business School and a Master of Public Finance from the John F. Kennedy School of Government in 1983. In 1999, he completed a master's degree in journalism from City University London; his thesis was titled 'The Colombian Community in the UK: Myths and Realities,' documenting that nearly 80% of Colombian migrants in the UK come from the municipality of Sevilla, Valle del Cauca. In 2016, he completed a master's degree in the Science of Happiness at the Universidad Tec Milenio.

In Their Own Story

In 1984, Botero returned to Colombia to become president of Compañía de Servicios Bursátiles S.A., a brokerage firm on the Bogotá stock exchange. During his tenure from 1984 to 1988, the company moved from 17th place to third place among companies on the exchange. His political career began in 1979 as Coordinator of Local Mayors of Bogota. He ran for the Assembly of Cundinamarca in 1980 but was defeated. In 1986, he was elected Councilman of Bogotá but did not serve because he was appointed Deputy Minister of Government by President Virgilio Barco Vargas on August 7, 1986. He served under Minister Fernando Cepeda Ulloa and later under César Gaviria Trujillo. In 1988, he resigned to run for Councilman of Bogotá and won with a large vote. In 1989, he ran as a candidate for Mayor of Bogotá for the Liberal Party, winning 42.3% of delegates' votes at the November 1989 Liberal convention but losing to Juan Martín Caicedo Ferrer. In 1991, he was appointed Secretary General of the Liberal Party under former President Alfonso López Michelsen. He was elected Senator of the Republic in 1990 and again in 1991. He was appointed Minister of Defense on August 7, 1994. During his tenure, the Cali Cartel's top leaders were all killed or imprisoned, including brothers Gilberto and Miguel Rodríguez Orejuela, Phanor Arizabaleta, Helmer 'Pacho' Herrera, and José Santa Cruz Londoño. He also developed an aggressive campaign against FARC guerrillas in multiple departments. After the 1994 presidential election, Botero was arrested and accused of facilitating illegal money into the presidential campaign. He was sentenced to 30 months' detention at the Escuela de Caballería military base in Bogotá and was released on February 12, 1998. In 1999, another case was opened for alleged embezzlement of more than 800 million Colombian pesos. In 2002, Judge 37 declared him innocent, but in 2003 the Bogotá Superior Court overturned that sentence. In January 2007, the Supreme Court of Justice reaffirmed the ruling by the Superior Court of Bogota. In a televised interview on February 13, 2007, Botero presented proof of his innocence, including the deed to a property his family had sold.

Reader's Guide

Fernando Botero Zea is a real Colombian politician, not a fictional character from Narcos. His most notable achievement in office was the dismantling of the Cali Cartel, with all its top leaders killed or imprisoned during his tenure. He is also known for being the son of renowned Colombian painter and sculptor Fernando Botero. His political career was marred by the 1994 presidential campaign scandal, for which he was convicted and served 30 months in detention. He later faced a second trial for embezzlement but presented evidence of his innocence in a 2007 televised interview. His educational background includes degrees from Harvard University and City University London, and he completed a master's degree in the Science of Happiness in 2016.

Did You Know?

• Fernando Botero Zea is the son of famous Colombian painter and sculptor Fernando Botero and cultural promoter Gloria Zea, who served as Minister of Culture of Colombia from 1974 to 1982.
• He earned two master's degrees from Harvard University in 1983: an MBA from Harvard Business School and a Master of Public Finance from the John F. Kennedy School of Government.
• During his tenure as Minister of Defense, all top leaders of the Cali Cartel were killed or imprisoned, including Gilberto and Miguel Rodríguez Orejuela.
• He was sentenced to 30 months' detention at the Escuela de Caballería military base in Bogotá for his role in the 1994 presidential campaign scandal.
• In 2016, he completed a master's degree in the Science of Happiness at the Universidad Tec Milenio, part of the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education.