Roman Catholic Cardinal. Mucuchíes born José Humberto Quintero Parra - who rose to become Venezuela's first cardinal - remains one of the most recognized and well known intellectual figures of his country during the course of the twentieth century. Belonging to a middle class family, he entered seminary in Mérida, later furthering his studies in Rome at the Pontifical Gregorian University and the Pontifical Pio Latin American College, earning doctorates in theology and canon law. Ordained priest on August 22, 1926 in Mérida, he served as secretary to the local ordinary, Msgr. Acacio de la Trinidad Chacón Guerra, between 1929 and 1934, to whom he went on to serve as his longtime secretary of the archdiocesan curia and vicar general from 1929 until 1953. Appointed coadjutor with right of succession of the archdiocese of Mérida by Pope Pius XII on September 7, 1953, he received his episcopal consecration with the titular archbishopric see of Acrida from Cardinal Adeodato Giovanni Piazza OCD., at the chapel of the named Latin American College in Rome. Promoted to the metropolitan see of Caracas, Santiago de Venezuela - vacated following the tragic death of Msgr. Rafael Ignacio Arias Blanco - on August 31, 1960, Pope John XXIII created him cardinal priest in the consistory of January 16 of the following year with the title of Ss. Andrea e Gregorio al Monte Celio. A skilled humanist, journalist, essayist, writer, poet, historian, artist and speaker, he was a member of the Academy of History of Venezuela and the Venezuelan Academy of Language. Authoring various works on ecclesiastical history of Venezuela, on Bolívar and several books of memoirs, receiving numerous awards for his works, the cardinal served as president of the Episcopal Conference of Venezuela. Resigning the administration of his archdiocese on September 21, 1972, he spent his remaining years in Caracas, passing away in 1984.