Guillermo Hincapié Orozco

Guillermo Hincapié Orozco (c. 1926 – December 26, 2018) was a Colombian civil engineer and politician. He served as the Mayor of Medellín from July 15, 1977, until 1978.[1][2]

Guillermo Hincapié Orozco
Mayor of Medellín
In office
July 15, 1977 – September 1978
Preceded bySofía Medina de López
Succeeded byJorge Valencia Jaramillo
Personal details
Bornc. 1926
DiedDecember 26, 2018
Medellín, Antioquia Department, Colombia
SpouseMaría Teresa Uribe (?–2018; his death)
ChildrenThree
EducationNational University of Engineering
OccupationCivil engineer

Biography edit

Hincapié was raised in the town of Támesis, Antioquia, where he attended elementary school.[1] He studied engineering at the National University of Civil Engineering in Medellín.[1] He had to compete with 80 other applicants to gain acceptances into the university.[1] Hincapié recalled financial issues during his time at the university, but did not miss a single exam during his time as a student.[1] To make ends meet, he sought a job at the Antioquia Railway, but was rejected.[1]

Following his graduation from National University, Hincapié was hired as the Secretary of Public Works for the municipality of Bello, Antioquia, for about eight months.[1] He then moved to Bogotá, where he worked in the city's public works department.[1]

He returned to Antioquia Department, where he served as the departmental Undersecretary and Secretary of Public Works during Antioquia Governor Jaime Sierra García's administration.[1] In 1977, Governor Sierra, with the approval of Colombian President Alfonso López Michelsen, appointed Hincapié as the new Mayor of Medellín.[1] Hincapié received the appointment just two days after speaking with President López Michelsen at the opening of the 1978 Central American and Caribbean Games in Medellín.[1]

Hincapié became Mayor of Medellín on July 15, 1977, following the resignation of outgoing Mayor Sofía Medina de López.[1] He served as the city's mayor for fifteen months. The Horacio Toro Bridge was opened during Hincapié's administration.[1]

Hincapié died from respiratory failure at a Medellín hospital on December 26, 2018, at the age of 92.[1] He had been hospitalized for several days due to a respiratory illness.[1] His wife of six decades, prominent Colombian professor and sociologist María Teresa Uribe, died six days later on January 1, 2019.[3] They were survived by their three children: Luis Guillermo, a civil engineer, Ana Lucía, a physician, and Marta Hincapié Uribe, a filmmaker and academic.[1] His funeral was held at San Lucas parish in El Poblado.[4]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "Falleció el exalcalde de Medellín, Guillermo Hincapié Orozco". La República (Colombia). 2018-12-27. Archived from the original on 2018-12-28. Retrieved 2019-01-14.
  2. ^ "Falleció el exalcalde de Medellín, Guillermo Hincapié Orozco". El Colombiano. 2018-12-27. Archived from the original on 2018-12-28. Retrieved 2019-01-14.
  3. ^ "Murió María Teresa Uribe, reconocida académica de Antioquia". El Espectador. 2019-01-01. Archived from the original on 2019-01-12. Retrieved 2019-01-14.
  4. ^ "Falleció Guillermo Hincapié Orozco, exalcalde de Medellín". Noticias Caracol. 2018-12-28. Archived from the original on 2019-01-14. Retrieved 2019-01-14.