Javier Pérez de Cuéllar

Biographical Overview & Key Facts

Subject:

Javier Pérez de Cuéllar

Role / Field:

Peruvian diplomat who served as the fifth UN Secretary-General (1982–1991).

Born:

1920-01-19

Died:

2020-03-04

Century / Era:

1920s Historical Era

Database Source:

2Day Chrono-Wiki & Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0

Origins & Early Life

Javier Felipe Ricardo Pérez de Cuéllar Guerra (, Spanish: [xaˈβjeɾ ˈpeɾes ðe ˈkweʝaɾ]; 19 January 1920 – 4 March 2020) was a Peruvian diplomat and politician who served as the fifth secretary-general of the United Nations from 1982 to 1991. He later served as prime minister of Peru from 2000 to 2001. His two terms as secretary-general coincided with the final decade of the Cold War, and he engaged in efforts to address the Iran–Iraq War, the Western Sahara conflict, the Cyprus problem, Namibian independence under the Tripartite Accord, the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Gulf War, and the opening of the Croatian War of Independence. Pérez de Cuéllar was a member of the Club of Madrid, a group of former heads of state and government, and the Inter-American Dialogue. Pérez de Cuéllar was born on 19 January 1920 in Lima, Peru, to a rentier family of Spanish descent with ancestry from Cuéllar.

Career & Major Achievements

His father, whose ancestors had migrated from Spain in the 16th century, died when he was 4. He attended Colegio San Agustín, learned French from a governess and earned a law degree from the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru in 1943. Pérez de Cuéllar joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1940 first as an intern, the diplomatic service itself in 1944, serving after that as a 3rd Secretary at Peru's embassy in France, where he met and married his first wife, Yvette Roberts-Darricau (1922–2013), in 1947. He also held posts in Britain, Bolivia and Brazil, and later served as ambassador to Switzerland from 1964 to 1966, the Soviet Union and Poland from 1969 to 1971, and Venezuela from 1977 to 1979. From his first marriage, he had a son, Francisco, and a daughter, Águeda Cristina.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

He was a member of the Peruvian delegation to the first session of the United Nations General Assembly, which convened in London in 1946, and of the delegations to the 25th through 30th sessions of the Assembly. In 1971, he was appointed permanent representative of Peru to the UN and led his country's delegation in the Assembly until 1975. In 1973 and 1974, he represented Peru in the UN Security Council, serving as its president at the time of the Cypriot coup d'état in July 1974. On 18 September 1975, he was appointed Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Cyprus – a post he held until December 1977, when he rejoined Peru's foreign service. Also in 1975, Pérez de Cuéllar divorced his first wife and married Marcela Temple Seminario (1933–2013), with whom he had no children.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1920 (1920-01-19): Birth of Javier Pérez de Cuéllar — Peruvian diplomat who served as the fifth UN Secretary-General (1982–1991).
2. 1940: 1940 Milestone — Pérez de Cuéllar joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1940 first as an intern, the diplomatic service itself in 1944, serving after that as a 3rd Secretary at Peru's embassy in France, where he met and married his first wife, Yvette Roberts-Darricau (1922–2013), in 1947.
3. 1943: 1943 Milestone — He attended Colegio San Agustín, learned French from a governess and earned a law degree from the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru in 1943.
4. 1946: 1946 Milestone — He was a member of the Peruvian delegation to the first session of the United Nations General Assembly, which convened in London in 1946, and of the delegations to the 25th through 30th sessions of the Assembly.
5. 1964: 1964 Milestone — He also held posts in Britain, Bolivia and Brazil, and later served as ambassador to Switzerland from 1964 to 1966, the Soviet Union and Poland from 1969 to 1971, and Venezuela from 1977 to 1979.
6. 1971: 1971 Milestone — In 1971, he was appointed permanent representative of Peru to the UN and led his country's delegation in the Assembly until 1975.
7. 1973: 1973 Milestone — In 1973 and 1974, he represented Peru in the UN Security Council, serving as its president at the time of the Cypriot coup d'état in July 1974.
8. 1975: 1975 Milestone — On 18 September 1975, he was appointed Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Cyprus – a post he held until December 1977, when he rejoined Peru's foreign service.
9. 2000: 2000 Milestone — He later served as prime minister of Peru from 2000 to 2001.
10. 2020 (2020-03-04): Passing & Historical Legacy — Javier Pérez de Cuéllar passed away on 2020-03-04, leaving an enduring historical legacy.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Javier Pérez de Cuéllar

True or False: “Javier Pérez de Cuéllar was the first UN Secretary-General to serve two consecutive terms.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): He was the first UN Secretary-General to become a centenarian, not necessarily the first to serve two consecutive terms.

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Frequently Asked Questions about Javier Pérez de Cuéllar