José María Pérez de Urdininea (31 October 1784 – 4 November 1865) was a Bolivian military officer and statesman who served as the third president of Bolivia in 1828. He was the first Bolivian president to be born in

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

itself. He fought with the patriots against the Argentines in

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

. Despite being

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

for only three months, Pérez held a number of important positions in the Bolivian government including Minister of War between 1841 and 1847.

Early life

Youth and the Spanish American Wars of Independence

José María Pérez de Urdininea was born in the Anquioma

hacienda An ''hacienda'' ( or ; or ) is an estate (or ''finca''), similar to a Roman ''latifundium'', in Spain and the former Spanish Empire. With origins in Andalusia, ''haciendas'' were variously plantations (perhaps including animals or orchards), ...

, near Luribay on 31 October 1784. He studied at the

La Paz La Paz (), officially known as Nuestra Señora de La Paz (Spanish pronunciation: ), is the seat of government of the Bolivia, Plurinational State of Bolivia. With an estimated 816,044 residents as of 2020, La Paz is the List of Bolivian cities ...

seminary before later studying in Cochabamba. He joined the Bolivian War of Independence in 1809, fighting in the

Battle of Huaqui The Battle of Huaqui (in some sources also called Guaqui, Yuraicoragua or Battle of Desaguadero), was a battle between the Primera Junta's (Buenos Aires) revolutionary troops and the royalist troops of the Viceroyalty of Peru on the border betw ...

, after which he was taken wounded to

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

where he joined the army of

Manuel Belgrano Manuel José Joaquín del Corazón de Jesús Belgrano y González (3 June 1770 – 20 June 1820), usually referred to as Manuel Belgrano (), was an Argentine public servant, economist, lawyer, politician, journalist, and military leader. He ...

and fought in the Battle of Tucumán and the Battle of Salta during the

Argentine War of Independence The Argentine War of Independence ( es, Guerra de Independencia de Argentina, links=no) was a secessionist civil war fought from 1810 to 1818 by Argentine patriotic forces under Manuel Belgrano, Juan José Castelli and José de San Martín a ...

. He fought from 1811 to 1821 under the command of various other Argentine leaders including

José Rondeau José Casimiro Rondeau Pereyra (March 4, 1773 – November 18, 1844) was a general and politician in Argentina and Uruguay in the early 19th century. Life and Politics He was born in Buenos Aires but soon after his birth, the family moved t ...

, Martín Miguel de Güemes, and José de San Martín. From 1822 to 1823 he was the

Governor of San Juan Province The Governor of San Juan is a citizen of the San Juan Province, Argentina, San Juan Province, in Argentina, holding the office of governor for the corresponding period. The governor is elected alongside a vice-governor. the Governor of San Juan is ...

, where he formed an army of 500 men under the command of José María Paz to invade

Upper Peru Upper Peru (; ) is a name for the land that was governed by the Real Audiencia of Charcas. The name originated in Buenos Aires towards the end of the 18th century after the Audiencia of Charcas was transferred from the Viceroyalty of Peru to th ...

. In early 1825, together with Governor of Salta

Juan Antonio Álvarez de Arenales Juan Antonio Álvarez de Arenales ( Reinoso, Spain, June 13, 1770 – Moraya, Bolivia, December 4, 1831) was an Argentine general of Spanish origin (considered also a Bolivian for his activities in Bolivia) that fought in the war for the United P ...

, Pérez received the surrender of the last Spanish royalist chief in the territory of Río de la Plata.

The Bolivian Republic and Presidency

Acting President

Bolivian President Antonio José de Sucre incorporated Pérez into the Bolivian Army, appointing him Minister of War on 9 December 1827 and later President of the

Council of Ministers A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or natio ...

. It was in this capacity that he took command of the government on 18 April 1828 after Sucre was wounded in an army revolt. Accused of not having faced the invasion of

Agustín Gamarra Agustín Gamarra Messia (August 27, 1785 – November 18, 1841) was a Peruvian soldier and politician, who served as the 4th and 7th President of Peru. Gamarra was a Mestizo, being of mixed Spanish and Quechua descent.Larned, Smith, Seymour, She ...

, Pérez retired to one of his estates for more than ten years.

The War of the Confederation and death

In 1838, Marshal

Andrés de Santa Cruz Andrés de Santa Cruz y Calahumana (; 30 November 1792 – 25 September 1865) was a Bolivian general and politician who served as interim president of Peru in 1827, the interim president of Peru from 1836 to 1838 and the sixth president of B ...

, then President of Bolivia and Protector of the Peru–Bolivian Confederation, reincorporated him into the army. He participated in the Battle of Yungay which ultimately resulted in the dissolution of the Peru-Bolivian Confederation. He served again as Minister of War during the governments of

José Ballivián José Ballivián Segurola (5 May 1805 – 6 October 1852) was a Bolivian general during the Peruvian-Bolivian War. He also served as the ninth president of Bolivia from 1841 to 1847. Early life Born in La Paz to wealthy parents, Ballivián ha ...

in 1843 and

Jorge Córdova Jorge Córdova (23 April 1822, in La Paz – 23 October 1861) was a Bolivian general and politician who served as the 12th president of Bolivia from 1855 to 1857. Early life Childhood Jorge Córdova was born on April 23, 1822, in the city ...

from 1855 to 1857. He died on 4 November 1865.

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Perez de Urdininea, Jose Maria 1784 births 1865 deaths 19th-century Argentine military personnel 19th-century Bolivian politicians Argentine generals Bolivian generals Córdova administration cabinet members Defense ministers of Bolivia Governors of San Juan Province, Argentina José Ballivián administration cabinet members People from José Ramón Loayza Province People of the Argentine War of Independence People of the Bolivian War of Independence Presidents of Bolivia Presidents of the Chamber of Deputies (Bolivia)