José Luis Álvaro Alvino Fernández Madrid (February 19, 1789 – June 28, 1830) was a Neogranadine statesman, physician, scientist and writer, who was President of the interim

triumvirate A triumvirate () or a triarchy is a political institution ruled or dominated by three individuals, known as triumvirs (). The arrangement can be formal or informal. Though the three leaders in a triumvirate are notionally equal, the actual distr ...

of the United Provinces of New Granada in 1814, and President of the United Provinces of the New Granada in 1816. After the Spanish retook New Granada, he was barred from the country and was exiled in

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

, and was appointed ambassador to France and to the United Kingdom where he died in 1830.

Early life

Fernández was born in

Cartagena de Indias Cartagena ( ), known since the colonial era as Cartagena de Indias (), is a city and one of the major ports on the northern coast of Colombia in the Caribbean Region of Colombia, Caribbean Coast Region, along the Caribbean Sea. Cartagena's past ...

, Bolívar, on February 19, 1789. Son of a wealthy aristocratic family of the New World, his father Pedro Fernández de Madrid y Rodríguez de Rivas, was born in

Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...

and held important positions in the Viceroyalty of the New Granada as a subdelegate

intendant An intendant (; ; ) was, and sometimes still is, a public official, especially in France, Spain, Portugal, and Latin America. The intendancy system was a centralizing administrative system developed in France. In the War of the Spanish Success ...

of the

Spanish Army The Spanish Army () is the terrestrial army of the Spanish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is one of the oldest Standing army, active armies – dating back to the late 15th century. The Spanish Army has existed ...

. His paternal grandfather, Don Luis Fernández Madrid was a

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

of the

Order of Calatrava The Order of Calatrava (, ) was one of the Spanish military orders, four Spanish military orders and the first Military order (society), military order founded in Kingdom of Castile, Castile, but the second to receive papal approval. The papal bu ...

and a member of the council to the King of Spain, and in the New World, served as '' oidor'', or head judge, of the '' audiencias'' of

, and

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

. His mother was Doña Gabriela Fernández de Castro, daughter of Don Diego Fernández de Castro' who served as governor, captain general, and president of the Audiencia of Guatemala. He began his studies in

, but his father was named Superintendent of the Royal Spanish Mint, and so the family moved to Santa Fe de Bogotá, where he continued his studies in the Our Lady of the Rosary University, in Bogotá. He initially graduated from his studies in

humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture, including Philosophy, certain fundamental questions asked by humans. During the Renaissance, the term "humanities" referred to the study of classical literature a ...

and

canon law Canon law (from , , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical jurisdiction, ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its membe ...

, but he went back to finish his

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

Medicine Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...

, graduating on February 16, 1809, all before the age of 20.

Early political life

Amidst the revolutionary events of 1810, Fernández found himself in Cartagena, where he got his first job as

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...

for the province of Cartagena, here he was part of the first revolutionary movements of the city when the province of Cartagena declared their absolute independence on November 11, 1811. He was later named representative to the Congress of the State of Cartagena de Indias. In 1812 Fernández was commissioned as representative of his province in the

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

of the

United Provinces of the New Granada United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...

that was convened in Villa de Leyva. He excelled in Congress and was known for his intellect, and speeches, and his literary works gave him great standing image among his colleagues.

Triumvirate

On October 5, 1814, the Supreme Junta of the United Provinces decided that the best political solution for the country was to name a triumvirate instead of a president to govern the country alone. Congress elected

Custodio García Rovira José Custodio Cayetano García Rovira (March 2, 1780 – August 8, 1816) was a Neogranadine general, statesman and painter, who fought for the independence of Viceroyalty of New Granada, New Granada from Spain, and became President of Colombia, ...

, Manuel Rodriguez Torices, and Manuel Restrepo to preside over the triumvirate, but since all of them were absent, congress named José María del Castillo y Rada, José Joaquín Camacho and Fernández, as interim presidents of the triumvirate. The Interim Triumvirate ruled the country from October 5, 1814. Fernández presided over the triumvirate until March 28, 1815, when Custodio García was able to step in power.

Presidency 1816

In 1816, the situation of the country was dire. The Spanish reconquest of the country was rapidly advancing under general Pablo Morillo from the royalist stronghold of

Santa Marta Santa Marta (), officially the Distrito Turístico, Cultural e Histórico de Santa Marta (), is a port List of cities in Colombia, city on the coast of the Caribbean Sea in northern Colombia. It is the capital of Magdalena Department and the fou ...

had fallen to the Spaniards in December 1815 and Morillo had moved into the north of the country. Independence was being taken away. Many important figures were abandoning the political scene, no one wanted to be in the way of Morillo. On March 14, 1816, Camilo Torres Tenorio resigned from the presidency. The Congress of the United Provinces of the New Granada asked Fernández to be the president of the United Provinces, he at first declined, knowing very well that he was not the right man for the job, and that he could not bring about a solution to the invasion, but upon pressure of his peers, he accepted and assumed the presidency. On May 6, Santa Fe de Bogotá was invaded by the royalists, this event marked Spain's reconquest of New Granada. So with only 27 years of age, and no military experience, Fernández marched with a handful of the remaining soldiers to the south. On June 22, 1816, Fernández presented his resignation to the presidency in Popayán to the Permanent Legislative Commission, who accepted it and named general

to the post, Liborio Mejía was named vicepresident, and becoming the acting president because Rovira was not present.

Capture

On June 30, after the defeat of the Battle of Cuchilla del Tambo, the last battle of the Reconquista, Fernández and his wife are captured and taken prisoners in

Chaparral Chaparral ( ) is a shrubland plant plant community, community found primarily in California, southern Oregon, and northern Baja California. It is shaped by a Mediterranean climate (mild wet winters and hot dry summers) and infrequent, high-intens ...

while they were in search of the lands of the Andaquí Indians to seek refuge Then, captured and facing the real threat of facing the Judges of War and Purification, who would have sentenced him to death as was the fate of many very important figures during the Reconquista, he pleaded for forgiveness—a mistake he would later regret—and he implored for a meeting with general Morillo. Because of his family's record of service to the king, and his lack of military action, his life was spared and sentenced to exile in Spain along with his wife, María Francisca Domínguez de la Roche, and his brother, Coronel Francisco Fernández Madrid. Morillo told him:

Exile

On June 5, 1820, the first edition of the newspaper ''El Argos'' came out, founded by Fernández. It ran for thirty-four editions and it had a revolutionary outlook and called for the unification of the peoples of America.

Ambassadorship

José Fernández Madrid was named

ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...

to the United Kingdom by

Simón Bolívar Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios (24July 178317December 1830) was a Venezuelan statesman and military officer who led what are currently the countries of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Panama, and Bol ...

on November 23, 1826 He was still in Paris when the government urged him to move to London as fast as possible. He was given an annual salary of 12,000 pesos. José Fernández Madrid arrived in London on April 30, 1827

Legacy

His son, Pedro Fernández Madrid, who was born in Cuba during his exile, became an important politician and writer, following in the steps of his father, he worked as a congressman and was president of the Congress in 1857.

Literary works

*''Poesías'' (1945) *''Guatimoc ó Guatimocin: Tragedia en cinco actos'' (1835)

Merit orders named for José Fernández Madrid

Established 22 July 1950, the

Colombian Armed Forces The Military Forces of Colombia () are the unified armed forces of the Republic of Colombia. They consist of the Colombian Army, the Colombian Navy and the Colombian Aerospace Force. The National Police of Colombia, although technically not pa ...

honors Fernández by awarding the Order of Health Merit Jose Fernandez Madrid (''Orden al Merito Sanitario José Fernández Madrid''). This award is presented to members of the Military Medical Corps and other military personnel for acts of

courage Courage (also called bravery, valour ( British and Commonwealth English), or valor (American English)) is the choice and willingness to confront agony, pain, danger, uncertainty, or intimidation. Valor is courage or bravery, especially in ...

, distinguished service, or for outstanding service to science, military medicine, or medical instruction and investigation.Colombian National Armada

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fernandez Madrid, Jose Ambassadors of Colombia to France Ambassadors of Colombia to the United Kingdom Presidents of Colombia People from Cartagena, Colombia People of the Colombian War of Independence Colombian poets 19th-century Colombian scientists 19th-century journalists People from Gran Colombia Expatriates in the United Kingdom 1789 births 1830 deaths Colombian physicians 19th-century Cuban poets Burials at Central Cemetery of Bogotá 19th-century male writers Viceroyalty of New Granada people