[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 94 (Tuesday, June 3, 2025)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E502-E503]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      HONORING LUIS HERRERA CAMPINS ON THE CENTENNIAL OF HIS BIRTH

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. DARREN SOTO

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 3, 2025

  Mr. SOTO. Mr Speaker, Luis Herrera Campins was born on May 4, 1925, 
in Acarigua, Venezuela.
  Born into a middle-class family, Herrera Campins was educated at a 
university in Caracas. Along with Rafael Caldera Rodriguez, he founded 
the Social Christian Party in 1946. This moderate party also known as 
the Christian Democrats, became the second-largest political patty in 
Venezuela, after Democratic Action, in the decades following World War 
II.
  In 1952, Herrera Campins was arrested and sent into exile due to his 
activities against the

[[Page E503]]

dictatorial regime of President Marcos Perez Jimenez. He returned to 
Venezuela after the overthrow of Perez in 1958 and was elected a member 
of the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of parliament, in 1959. 
Successively reelected, he served as chairman of the Social Christian 
faction in parliament until his election to the Senate in 1973. He was 
also secretary-general of the Latin American Congress of Christian 
Democratic organizations from 1969 to 1977.
  Herrera Campins was nominated as his party's presidential candidate 
in 1977 and went on to win the presidential election in 1978. He took 
office when the economic boom that Venezuela had enjoyed since world 
oil prices had quadrupled in 1973 had begun to show serious defects. 
His administration is remembered for its lasting efforts to promote 
education, culture, and infrastructure development, and for championing 
Latin American unity and international cooperation--principles that are 
more relevant today than ever. Herrera Campins died in Caracas on 
November 9, 2007.
  This centennial is not only a moment to remember the life of a former 
President of Venezuela, but also a time to reflect on the principles of 
leadership, service, and civic responsibility that he so passionately 
embodied. His vision and values continue to resonate across generations 
and borders.

                          ____________________