Ramón J. Velásquez, Venezuela's Former President, Dies In Caracas

Former Venezuelan President, Ramón José Velásquez Mujica, has died at the age of 97 in Caracas, Venezuela. His death was announced on Twitter by the head of the opposition party, Acción Democrática party, Henry Ramos Allup (@hramosallup). "Dr. Ramón J. Velásquez, former President of the Republic and great historian, writer and politician, has died," tweeted Allup, in Spanish.

Born in San Juan de Colón in the Venezuelan state of Andean Táchira on November 28, 1916 to a journalist father and an educator mother, Velásquez was a politician, jurist and well known historian. From 1993 to 1994, Velásquez took over as provisional president, with the approval by the Venezuelan congress, to replace Carlos Andrés Pérez, who was impeached by the Supreme Court of Justice.

In addition to a political career, Velásquez had a literary career as he was a reporter for Últimas Noticias in 1941 and the president of El Nacional. Additionally, he authored two books -- La caída del Liberalismo Amarillo: tiempo y drama de Antonio Paredes (1972) and Confidencias imaginarias de Juan Vicente Gómez (1979).