Iván Darío Maldonado Bello
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Iván Darío Maldonado Bello (
Caracas Caracas ( , ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas (CCS), is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the northern p ...
,
Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...
, January 28, 1913 – Miami, United States, September 8, 2007) was a Venezuelan lawyer and businessman. He is known for his contributions to the Venezuelan agriculture and livestock industry, his career as a businessman in the banking and insurance sectors, and his work as a conservationist. He also served as Director of Livestock at the Ministry of Agriculture and Breeding (1940) and as Governor of the state of
Carabobo Carabobo State (, ) is one of the 23 states of Venezuela, located in the north of the country, about two hours by car from Caracas. The state capital city is Valencia, which is also the country's main industrial center. The state's area is and ...
(1957).


Biography

Iván Darío Maldonado Bello was born on January 28, 1913, in Caracas. He was the son of Venezuelan physician, anthropologist, writer, and politician Samuel Darío Maldonado Vivas and Dolores (Lola) Bello de Maldonado. He was the brother of physician, businessman, diplomat, and opera singer Ricardo Juan Maldonado Bello. His first son is Marcos Maldonado González, whom he had with Mercedes González. On October 3, 1943, he married Elsa Blaubach Horrocks; from this union were born: Milagros, Álvaro, Juan, and Alonso. In partnership with his children, he later established a family investment model that allowed him to expand his business projects nationally and internationally (United States). On August 24, 1985, he married Martha Santeliz, who accompanied him until his last days. On September 8, 2007, Maldonado died in Miami (U.S.).


Education

His high school studies were interrupted due to his participation in the political events involving the
Generation of 1928 The Generation of 1928 (Spanish: ''Generación del 28'') was a group of Venezuelan students who led protests in Caracas in 1928 against the dictatorship of Juan Vicente Gómez. Members and exile Many politicians prominent in Venezuela's transi ...
. For this reason, when he was fifteen years old he was transferred to the Araira Colony —this place functioned during the dictatorship of
Juan Vicente Gómez Juan Vicente Gómez Chacón (24 July 1857 – 17 December 1935) was a Venezuelan military general, politician and '' de facto'' ruler of Venezuela from 1908 until his death in 1935. He only officially served as president on three occasions d ...
as a forced labor camp. Manuel Acosta Silva (1970) in ''Historias del 28'' 'Accounts of the ‘28''states that at the beginning of October 1928, 172 students were sent to this colony in three groups. In the third group, known as "of the 32", was Iván Darío. He remained at the Araira Colony until March 1929, when he was transferred to the
San Felipe Castle San Felipe Castle is an eighteenth-century star fort protecting Puerto Cabello in Venezuela. It was named in honour of Philip V, King of Spain at the time of its construction in the 1730s. It has an alternative name ''Castillo Libertador'', ex ...
in
Puerto Cabello Puerto Cabello () is a city on the north coast of Venezuela. It is located in Carabobo State, about 210 km west of Caracas. As of 2011, the city had a population of around 182,400. The city is home to the largest and busiest port in the count ...
, which functioned as a prison during the Gomecista period. He was released along with other students in November 1929. Upon leaving prison he traveled with his mother to Germany. It is presumed that he returned to Venezuela before 1932 and that he obtained his Bachelor's degree at the Andrés Bello High School in Caracas that year. However, he also received the title of Bachelor in Philosophy in 1934 from Dr. Placido Daniel Rodriguez. That same year he took the first course of Animal Health Practices taught in Venezuela, considered to be the formal beginning of veterinary medicine in the country and which gave way, years later, to the creation of the Faculty of Veterinary Sciences (1959) of the
Central University of Venezuela Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...
(UCV). On December 20, at age 21, he received his diploma as "Practitioner in Animal Health" from Dr. Vladimir Kubes. In 1936 he studied accounting at the Caracas School of Commerce, and statistics at the Central University of Venezuela. In July 1939 he obtained the degree of Doctor in Political Sciences from the Central University of Venezuela, after the presentation of his thesis entitled "Credit for agricultural production: legal structure, usual forms". Among the jury were Arturo Uslar Pietri, Eduardo López V. and Tito Gutiérrez Alfaro, who recommended its publication. It was published by Editorial Condor (1939). In August of the same year, he was granted his law degree by the Supreme Court of the Federal District. In 1941 he studied at the Boca del Río Military Aviation School in Maracay, and in 1943 he took a course on grazing lands at the University of Pennsylvania in the United States.


Professional career


Livestock farming

In the late thirties and early forties, Maldonado began his cattle-raising activity with the management of the El Frío ranch (Spanish: ''hato'' El Frío), a family property acquired in 1911 by his father. This was the first of a complex network of cattle production units that would expand over several states of the country. In addition to El Frío, he was also in charge of the ranches Santo Cristo, Los Yopitos, Santa Cruz, El Socorro, Paya, Barrera, María Dolores, Espinito, Corralito, Manirito, Menoreño, and Los Samanes. In 1939, he became a founding member of the National Cattlemen's Association and the National Cooperative Livestock Farming Association (Ganadera Nacional Cooperativa, GANACO) created by cattlemen from Apure. This association was known for initiating the aerial transport of cattle from the plains to the capital to avoid diseases, as well as for transporting meat by the same route to the markets in the center of the country. In 1940, as Director of Livestock at the Ministry of Agriculture and Breeding (MAC), he organized the First Convention of Regional Veterinarians. In the early 70s, Maldonado became interested in the research and contributions to the improvement of cattle breeds made by the South African zootechnician Jhan Bonsma, who since 1937 had been working on the creation of the Bonsmara breed. In 1973 he acquired a piece of land and started his cattle breeding activity in South Africa to learn the principles and techniques of South African cattle breeding, and to work on the improvement of the Venezuelan livestock process; there he created the agricultural company Ven-Africa, which is currently a private animal reserve and a location for ecoturism. In 1991, Maldonado was one of the founding members of the Venezuelan Meat Council, an association created on June 20 in the state of Miranda. Journalist Alfredo Fermín (1999) commented the following in the newspaper ''
El Carabobeño ''El Carabobeño'' has been one of the most popular newspapers in the Central Region of Venezuela. The offices of the newspaper are located in Naguanagua, north of the city of Valencia in the state of Carabobo. Its main competitor in the area is ...
'' about Dr. Maldonado's contribution to cattle ranching:
"Iván Darío Maldonado is a man who made a great fortune through hard work. Fifty years ago, from his ranch El Frío in the state of Apure, he took a herd of 700 cattle to
Villavicencio Villavicencio () is a city and municipality in Colombia. The capital of Meta Department, it was founded on April 6, 1840. The municipality had a population of 531,275 in 2018. The city is located at 4°08'N, 73°40'W, 75 km (about 45  ...
, near
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, to sell his products after a 45-day journey on horseback. In a farm he has very close to Valencia, called Barrera, he cultivated, for the first time in our country, the ''Brachiaria Decumbens'' grass, and introduced the crossbreeding of
Zebu The zebu (; ''Bos indicus''), also known as indicine cattle and humped cattle, is a species or subspecies of Bos taurus, domestic cattle originating in South Asia. Zebu, like many Sanga cattle breeds, differs from taurine cattle by a fatty hump ...
cattle. He also industrialized
capybara The capybara or greater capybara (''Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris'') is the largest living rodent, native to South America. It is a member of the genus '' Hydrochoerus''. The only other extant member is the lesser capybara (''Hydrochoerus isthmi ...
breeding, for which he had artificial lakes made—which did not exist in the plains—because these animals only reproduce in water and at times when it does not rain in the region".
Iván Darío Maldonado is also known for being one of the first cattlemen to acquire
Brahman In Hinduism, ''Brahman'' (; IAST: ''Brahman'') connotes the highest universal principle, the ultimate reality of the universe.P. T. Raju (2006), ''Idealistic Thought of India'', Routledge, , page 426 and Conclusion chapter part XII In the ...
cattle in
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and
Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...
(United States), which he started doing in the 1950s.


Inversiones Venezolanas Ganaderas (INVEGA)

In 1948, he led a group of Venezuelan cattle ranchers to form Inversiones Venezolanas Ganaderas enezuelan Livestock Investment(INVEGA), a company dedicated to the breeding, raising, and fattening of cattle, as well as to scientific research on the improvement of cattle breeds and the cultivation of various types of pasture (
agrostology Agrostology (from Greek , ''agrōstis'', "type of grass"; and , ''-logia''), sometimes graminology, is the scientific study of the grasses (the family Poaceae, or Gramineae). The grasslike species of the sedge family (Cyperaceae), the rush family ...
). The company's contributions include the introduction of the first Brahman cattle herds to the country, as well as the introduction of pasture varieties that would contribute to the optimization of herd health. The company's properties cover an extension that goes from El Samán de Apure to the city of Valencia. In 1962, Iván Darío Maldonado achieved a partnership with Nelson Rockefeller's NAFARMS company, thus creating MALNAR LIMITED (Maldonado –
Nelson Rockefeller Nelson Aldrich "Rocky" Rockefeller (July 8, 1908 – January 26, 1979) was the 41st vice president of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977 under President Gerald Ford. He was also the 49th governor of New York, serving from 1959 to 197 ...
). The partnership lasted until 1977. INVEGA currently continues its commercial and industrial cattle raising activities, to which it has added buffalo cattle raising.


Industrias Lácteas de Carabobo (INLACA)

A year later (1949) he again led a group of cattle ranchers, this time belonging to the state of Carabobo, to found on May 5, 1949, the company Industrias Lácteas de Carabobo airy Industries of Carabobo( INLACA) in association with the company International Basic Economic Corporation (IBEC), owned by the Rockefeller family. This was the first pasteurized milk company in the country. This company is still active, but it ceased to be owned by the Maldonado family in 2019.


Business career

His business career began in agribusiness, specifically with livestock activity, then expanded to private banking and insurance. Among the positions held and companies founded by Maldonado, the following stand out: * President and founder of Inversiones Venezolanas Ganaderas (C.A. INVEGA, 1948)
Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...
* Founder and director of Banco Carabobo * Director of Banco Miranda and Banco de Aragua * Director of International Basic Economic Corporation IBEC (United States)—company founded by Nelson Rockefeller and his brothers for the development, distribution, and commercialization of the agricultural industry. * President and founder of the international agricultural and livestock company NARFARMS (1962) * Director and founder in Venezuela of a subsidiary of Hunter and Huggins International Insurance Brokerage Company * President and shareholder of Seguros La Previsora (Venezuela, 1970) * Shareholder of Seguros Los Andes.


Wildlife conservation


El Frío ranch

The El Frío ranch (Spanish: ''hato'' El Frío), a property acquired by his father in 1911, is a plain of 76,000 hectares located in
Apure State Apure State (, ) is one of the 23 States of Venezuela, states of Venezuela. Its territory formed part of the provinces of Mérida (state), Mérida, Maracaibo, and Barinas (state), Barinas, in accordance with successive territorial ordinations ...
, between El Samán and Mantecal. It belongs to the company Inversiones Venezolanas Ganaderas (INVEGA) and the Maldonado family. The flora of this ranch includes more than 300 species, 200 of which are aquatic plants. The fauna includes 319 species of birds, 200 species of fish, 20 amphibians, more than 80 species of mammals, and 29 species of reptiles. Since Maldonado took over El Frío, he applied wildlife conservation rules. He prohibited the keeping of dogs in the ranch, firearms, and the killing, capture, or trade of wild animals, as well as putting them in captivity. His measures generated a great increase in the fauna of El Frío. His management model was based on the fact that productivity depended on light, temperature, topography, and water. For this reason, he promoted a system based on the construction of embankments to retain water and ensure better ecological conditions.


El Frío Biological Station

Together with biologist Javier Castroviejo, he created the El Frio Biological Station (EBEF) in 1977. The main objectives were the conservation of the national flora and fauna as well as the promotion of Venezuela and its plains at the national and international level. Dozens of documentaries, more than a dozen doctoral theses, 20 undergraduate theses, dozens of presentations at conferences, Master's courses, informative publications, and more than 200 scientific publications were carried out in its facilities. It was also the site of field practices in five editions of the Master's Degree in Biodiversity Management in the Tropics, a program with scholarships for Latin American students promoted and financed by the Carolina Foundation with the academic coordination of the Amigos de Doñana Association and the support of the San Pablo CEU University,
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
, and the Amigos de Doñana Association itself. The station also pioneered the Program for the Reintroduction and Conservation of the Orinoco Caiman (''Crocodylus intermedius''). It also facilitated and financed research projects of various national and international institutions such as the Central University of Venezuela, Simón Bolívar University, University of the Andes, Experimental University of the Plains Ezequiel Zamora,
University of Sevilla The University of Seville (''Universidad de Sevilla'') is a university in Seville, Andalusia, Spain. Founded under the name of ''Colegio Santa María de Jesús'' in 1505, in 2022 it has a student body of 57,214,U-Ranking Universidades español ...
,
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, and the
Real Jardín Botánico de Madrid Real Jardín Botánico de Madrid (Spanish language, Spanish for "Royal Botanical Garden of Madrid") is an botanical garden in Madrid (Spain). The public entrance is located at Plaza de Murillo, next to the Museo del Prado, Prado Museum. Histo ...
. The station ceased operations in April 2009, when President
Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías Hugo or HUGO may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Hugo'' (film), a 2011 film directed by Martin Scorsese * Hugo Award, a science fiction and fantasy award named after Hugo Gernsback * Hugo (franchise), a children's media franchise based on ...
ordered the occupation and eviction of the property on March 31.


Public office


Director of the Ministry of Agriculture and Breeding

In 1940, while Director of Livestock in the Ministry of Agriculture and Breeding (MAC) (during the presidency of
Eleazar López Contreras José Eleazar López Contreras (5 May 1883 – 2 January 1973) was the president of Venezuela between 1935 and 1941. He was an army general and one of Juan Vicente Gómez's collaborators, serving as his War Minister from 1931. In 1939, Contr ...
), he organized the I Convention of Veterinary Doctors. According to Pedro E. Piñate B., quoted by Carlos Ruiz Martínez (1966) in ''Veterinaria Venezolana'' 'Venezuelan Veterinary Science'' the results of this convention were the following:
"In that first Convention of Regional Veterinary Doctors, in September 1940, two resolutions were adopted, which showed how progressive those colleagues were: 1. To initiate in Venezuela practical work on the method of artificial insemination, of great transcendence in the progress of the livestock industry since it simultaneously improves and increases breeding. 2. To disseminate among breeders the most usual methods for conserving pastures in haystacks or hayfields, in anticipation of the shortage, which would become more feasible with the increase in production, providing the animals with good food throughout the year."


Governor of Carabobo dit

In 1957 he was governor of Carabobo state during the presidency of
Marcos Pérez Jiménez Marcos Evangelista Pérez Jiménez (25 April 1914 – 20 September 2001) was a Venezuelan military officer and the dictator of Venezuela from 1950 to 1958, ruling as member of the military junta from 1950 to 1952 and as president from 1952 t ...
. In this position, he decreed the foundation of the Valencia Metropolitan Park Promotion Board and commissioned the topographic survey and cadastre of the area affected by the park to the company Cartográfica Mercator. In 1958, after
the coup The Coup is an American hip hop band from Oakland, California. Their music is an amalgamation of influences, including funk, punk, hip hop, and soul. Frontman Boots Riley's revolutionarily-charged lyrics rank The Coup as a renowned politica ...
against the government of Marcos Pérez Jiménez, he ceased his functions.


See also

* Samuel Darío Maldonado Vivas


References


External links

* Th
Historical Archive of the Maldonado Family
preserves almost all the literary and scientific production of Samuel Darío Maldonado Vivas, and it has information about his professional career. {{DEFAULTSORT:Maldonado Bello, Ivan Dario Venezuelan businesspeople Governors of Carabobo Central University of Venezuela alumni People from Caracas Venezuelan lawyers 1913 births 2007 deaths