Rómulo Betancourt (1908-1981) was the most important political leader of Venezuela during the middle decades of the 20th century. Founder of the nation's first modern political party, he was twice president.

Born on Feb. 22, 1908, in a small town in eastern Venezuela, Rómulo Betancourt was the son of lower-middle-class parents. In 1927 he enrolled at the Central University of Venezuela in Caracas. He had his first political experience as a leader of the student movement called the "Boys of '28." This group directed its energies in opposition to the dictatorship of General Juan Vicente Gómez, "the tyrant of the Andes." When the student revolt of 1928 failed, Betancourt was jailed for several weeks, and then sent into exile in Colombia. From there he traveled to other Latin American countries in search of support against Venezuela's repressive government. In Costa Rica he was swept up in...