Mario Laserna Pinzón

Mario Laserna Pinzón (b. 1923) is a Colombian educator and politician. He was born in Paris of Colombian parents, and raised in Colombia. He attended Columbia University where he completed his undergraduate studies in Mathematics, Physics, and Humanities. He would go on to take a Master's degree at Princeton University and a Doctorate at the Free University of Berlin. Brandeis University would in later years award him a Doctorate Honoris Causa. Laserna is credited for being one of the founders of the Universidad de Los Andes in Bogotá. The university, incorporated in 1948, is a private institution modeled on the American liberal arts system.

Biography

Career

Laserna is widely admired in his country as an educator, a politician, and a passionate seeker of knowledge, with numerous books and studies to his credit. During the late 1940s and 1950s he came into contact with many important scientific figures of the day, including Albert Einstein.

Later on Laserna would serve as the Colombian Ambassador to Vienna, and as a Senator of the Republic.

Marriages and Children

Laserna's son, Juan Mario Laserna Jaramillo, is an accomplished economist who at present sits on the board of the Banco de la República, the Colombian central bank. He began his term in March of 2005 after a stint as a consultant at the Inter-American Development Bank.

Laserna also has four daughters: Dorotea, Catalina, Julia and Liliana. Dorotea Laserna works within the agricultural industry and currently lives in Sevilla, Spain. Catalina Laserna is an accomplished scholar and professor of anthropology at Harvard University. Julia Laserna lives in Colombia and runs an art gallery. Liliana Laserna is a successful painter and sculptor.

References

• Template:Es icon President of Colombia on Mario Laserna Pinzon