Hugo de los Reyes Chávez


Hugo de los Reyes Chávez is a Venezuelan state politician and the father of the late Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez.

Early life

Chávez was born in 1933 to José Rafael Saavedra and Rosa Inés Chávez. He has a brother Marcos Chávez.

Political career

Chávez was a regional director of education and subsequently rose to prominence as a member of the Social Christian Party COPEI. He was Governor of Barinas for three terms from 1998 to 2008. He is best known as the father of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez; he is also the father of Adán Chávez, who succeeded him as Barinas Governor, and the Mayor of Sabaneta, Barinas, Anibal José Chávez Frías.

Personal

The Chávez family is descended from the mestizos and mulattos that live in central Venezuela's vast and verdant llanos, home to a rural cattle ranching culture famed as restive and fiercely independent.
Chávez and his wife, Elena Frías de Chávez, started their careers as local schoolteachers. He dropped out of school after completing the sixth grade, later qualifying to teach. Reyes Chávez had 11 children.