Jorge Salvador Lara (Quito, September 4, 1926 – Quito, February 8, 2012) was an Ecuadorian politician, diplomat, columnist, writer, and historian. Lara held the position of Ecuador’s Foreign Minister twice. In 1966, he was appointed Foreign Minister in the administration of interim President Clemente Yerovi. From 1976 to 1977, Lara served as Foreign Minister under Vice Admiral Alfredo Poveda’s military regime.
Family
Lara was born on September 4, 1926, in Quito, Ecuador, to Jorge Salvador Donoso and Josefina Lara Bueno. Lara was introduced to history by his parents, and he eventually studied under Father Aurelio Espinosa Pólit, the founder of the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador.
Lara’s son and daughters have held important public positions, including Foreign Ministers, Tourism Ministers, and General Prosecutor of the State. Jorge Izquierdo Salvador, a writer and professor, is one of his grandchildren.
Career
Lara was a diplomat for Ecuador. He was appointed Ecuador’s Ambassador to the Holy See, Peru, Chile, and the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Paris.
Lara was also the President of the Institute of Geography and History (Instituto de Geografa e Historia) and the Director of the Academy of National History (Academia Nacional de Historia) for twenty years. On June 27, 1967, he was awarded a fellowship by the Academy of National History.
Lara was regarded as a leading historian and expert on the history of Quito, the capital city. Lara taught history at the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador, the Ecuador Military Academy, and San Gabriel High School. In addition, he published numerous books and articles.
On May 11, 1970, at the request of the newspaper’s then-director, Jorge Mantilla Ortega, Lara began writing columns for El Comercio.
Death
Jorge Salvador Lara died on February 8, 2012, in Quito, Ecuador, at the age of 85.
Awards
- 1995: Eugenio Espejo Award in Culture.
Selected works
- Semblanza apasionada de Isabel la Católica
- Cuaderno del Combatiente
- La documentación sobre los próceres de la Independencia y la crítica histórica
- Las Ideas Sociales en los pueblos antiguos. Introducción a la Historia de la Sociología
- La Patria heroica
- Escorzos de Historia Patria
- Memoria del Ministro de Relaciones Exteriores
- Discurso del Canciller