Juan Antonio Pezet Rodríguez Piedra (11 June 1809 – 24 March 1879) was a Peruvian military officer and politician who served in the positions of Secretary of War, First Vice President and the 16th

President of Peru The president of Peru ( es, link=no, presidente del Perú), officially called the president of the Republic of Peru ( es, link=no, presidente de la República del Perú), is the head of state and head of government of Peru. The president is th ...

throughout his life. As President, his moderate and cautious attitude towards the occupation of the

Chincha Islands The Chincha Islands () are a group of three small islands off the southwest coast of Peru, to which they belong, near the town of Pisco. Since pre-Incan times they were of interest for their extensive guano deposits, but the supplies were mostly ...

by a Spanish Fleet in 1864 was used as an excuse to launch a military uprising that drove him out of power.

Early years

Juan Antonio Pezet Rodríguez Piedra was born in

Lima Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of t ...

, Peru, the son of Dr. Jose Pezet Monel, a physician, journalist, literary and parliamentarian who was among the enterprising heroes of Peru's independence. His French-born grandfather, Antoine Pezet Eustache, had arrived in Lima in 1765. As a boy, Pezet briefly entered the Jesuit College of San Carlos. When General

José de San Martín José Francisco de San Martín y Matorras (25 February 177817 August 1850), known simply as José de San Martín () or '' the Liberator of Argentina, Chile and Peru'', was an Argentine general and the primary leader of the southern and cent ...

with the Chilean army obliged the viceroy to evacuate Lima in 1821, young Pezet joined the patriots and took part in the campaign as sub-lieutenant. In 1823, he was promoted to lieutenant, and under Bolívar and

Sucre Sucre () is the Capital city, capital of Bolivia, the capital of the Chuquisaca Department and the List of cities in Bolivia, 6th most populated city in Bolivia. Located in the south-central part of the country, Sucre lies at an elevation of . T ...

, he fought at Junín and

Ayacucho Ayacucho (, qu, Ayak'uchu) is the capital city of Ayacucho Region and of Huamanga Province, Ayacucho Region, Peru. During the Inca Empire and Viceroyalty of Peru periods the city was known by the name of Huamanga (Quechua: Wamanga), and it c ...

. He became captain in 1828, and in 1835, as colonel of the battalion of sharp-shooters of Rimac, he took part in the rising of President

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 ...

against the Peru-Bolivian Confederacy and was banished. After his return, he was appointed prefect of Lima and took part in the revolution of Vivanco in 1843. During the revolt, he was appointed Inspector-General of the Army and Prefect of La Libertad. He was wounded and taken prisoner in 1844 but was pardoned, became prefect of

Arequipa Arequipa (; Aymara and qu, Ariqipa) is a city and capital of province and the eponymous department of Peru. It is the seat of the Constitutional Court of Peru and often dubbed the "legal capital of Peru". It is the second most populated city ...

in 1847, and in 1848 was made general-in-chief of the division of the south and prefect of nada. Under President

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in 1853, he was appointed inspector-general and chief of the Army of the South during the invasion of

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 ...

President of the Republic

In 1859, Pezet was secretary of war; in 1862, he was elected first vice-president with General San Román, assuming the presidency following the death of the latter in 1863. During his administration, the difficulties with Spain, which culminated in the occupation of the

on 14 April 1864, began. But when he signed a treaty with the Spaniards on 27 January 1865, which was considered derogatory to Peruvian national honor, a general uprising followed, so on November 7, 1865, he delivered the executive office to the vice-president and retired to Europe, settling in Richmond, England. He returned in 1871 and lived in retirement in Chorrillos until his death. Pezet was the dedicatee of a requiem by José María Valle Riestra, a relative by marriage.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pezet, Juan Antonio 1809 births 1879 deaths Peruvian people of Spanish descent Peruvian people of French descent Presidents of Peru Vice presidents of Peru People of the Chincha Islands War Recipients of Peruvian parliamentary pardons People from Lima Freemasons