José Hilario López
This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (December 2010) |
José Hilario López | |
---|---|
Republic of the New Granada | |
In office 1 April 1849 – 1 April 1853 | |
Vice President | José de Obaldía |
Preceded by | Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera |
Succeeded by | José María Obando |
Personal details | |
Born | Popayán, Cauca | February 18, 1798
Died | Campoalegre, Huila | November 27, 1869 (aged 71)
Political party | Liberal |
Spouse | María Dorotea Durán Borrero |
José Hilario López Valdés (18 February 1798,
Biographic data
The son of José Casimiro López and Rafaela Valdés y Fernández, José, completed his primary education in the seminary of Popayán under the supervision of scholar, José Félix de Restrepo. At age 14, he ended his education to join the revolutionary army.[1]
Military career
López joined the revolutionary army as a
López was sent to Bogotá, where he was tried by court martial and was found guilty of treason against the Crown and sentenced to death. His death sentence was commuted in exchange for his service to the royal army. As a prisoner of war, he was assigned to the cobblestone duty of the Plaza Mayor de Bogotá and in the shooting squadron to execute insurgent leaders.[1] On 28 June 1819, López was promised his freedom after his aunt Eusebia Caicedo intervened on his behalf. But it was not until 24 July 1819 that he was pardoned and freed.[1]
Wars of Independence from Spain
In 1820, López met General Simón Bolívar, who appointed him lieutenant of the then newly created "Boyacá Battalion". While in the town of La Mesa, López saw his former prison mate, Vicente Azuero, among the prisoners of war and interceded for his release. López was promoted to the rank of lieutenant mayor and subsequently, captain. In that capacity, López participated in the "Northern Campaign" offensive in what is now Venezuelan territory.[1]
Once the campaign ended in February 1823, López returned to Bogotá and was appointed by General Francisco de Paula Santander as military chief of the province of Cauca. On 6 April 1823, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel.[1]
Military career
After the Conspiración Septembrína (Septembrine Conspiracy) of 1828, and while being military chief of the Azuay province, López rebelled against General Simón Bolívar and joined the army of Colonel José María Obando.[1]
Shortly after, the
Political career
Under the military government of Rafael Urdaneta in September 1830, López and Obando rebelled once again and started a campaign to destabilize the government. Their forces took over most of the south and took control of the town of Popayán. López advanced to Tocaima, where he confronted General Rafael Urdaneta,[1] but both reached a ceasefire that followed the "Apulo Agreement", signed on 28 April 1831.
The following year, during the government of Francisco de Paula Santander, López was appointed military chief of Bogotá, and two years later, in 1834 was appointed governor of Cartagena. After these posts, López also assumed other offices such as the Secretary of War and Navy, Ambassador of Colombia to the Papal States, Secretary of Foreign Relations, state advisor and senator.
President of Colombia
On 7 March 1849, López was
Resistance against abolition provoked a conservative uprising in the Cauca region, led by Julio Arboleda. The revolt was soon crushed by Lopez' government forces. In Cali, confrontations between landowners and the commoners became harshly violent. The defeat suffered by the landowners sparked an uprising of former slaves and peasants, who sabotaged and vandalized farms, to the point of taking physical vengeance over their former masters by whipping them with the same whips used on them.[citation needed] The government bonds issued to compensate the former slave owners may have contributed to inflation.
López administration also authorized the dissolution of the
Civil wars
A year after finishing his term as President of Colombia, in 1854, López joined the conservative and liberal armies against the
In 1865 he was postulated as candidate to lead the Colombian Union, but was defeated by President
References
- ^ Bogotá, Colombia; 1983
- ^ Arismendi Posada, Ignacio; Gobernantes Colombianos ("Colombian Presidents"); Inter-print Editors Ltd.; Italgraf; Segunda Edición; pg. 64; Bogotá, Colombia; 1983