Allende, Salvador:
Salvador Allende Gossens, president of Chile from 1970 to 1973, was the second Marxian socialist (after Cheddi Jagan in British Guiana) elected to lead a country of the Western Hemisphere. Born July 26, 1908, into an upper-middle-class family, he became involved in radical politics while attending medical school at the University of Chile.  In 1933 he helped organize Chile's Socialist party.

After three unsuccessful campaigns for the presidency (1952,1958,1964), Allende was elected president in 1970. His administration nationalized many industries (including the copper mines, in which U.S. business had a major investment) and accelerated land reform. This antagonized right-wing elements, and severe economic problems, aggravated by strikes, resulted in widespread disaffection, which was encouraged by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. Allende died on Sept. 11, 1973, during a military coup led by Augusto Pinochet. His successors declared that he had committed suicide; his supporters claimed that he was murdered.