Manuel González de Candamo e Iriarte (July 14, 1841 – May 7, 1904) served as the 33rd

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 ...

from 1903 until his death in 1904. He also served as Interim President of Peru, officially as the President of the Government Junta, from September 8, 1903, until his death the following year.

Early life and family

Born in a wealthy family, Manuel was the son of Pedro González de Candamo e Astorga (Puerto de Valparaiso,

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

, June 30, 1799 -

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 ...

, January 22, 1866), Peruvian

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 sov ...

- then the richest man in Peru -, and wife (1825) María de las Mercedes Iriarte e Odria;Political Culture in Nineteenth-century Peru: The Rise of the Partido Civil
/ref> paternal grandson of Alfonso González de Candamo y Prieto (born in

Asturias Asturias (, ; ast, Asturies ), officially the Principality of Asturias ( es, Principado de Asturias; ast, Principáu d'Asturies; Galician-Asturian: ''Principao d'Asturias''), is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in nor ...

the son of Gaspar González de Candamo and wife Eulalia Prieto) and wife Petronila de Astorga y Urizar (born in Valparaiso) and maternal grandson of Pedro Ignacio Iriarte y Velasco-Patiño, Mine owner from

Huancayo Huancayo (; in qu, label=Wanka Quechua, Wankayuq , '(place) with a (sacred) rock') is the capital of Junín Region, in the central highlands of Peru. Location Huancayo is located in Huancayo Province, of which it is also the capital. Sit ...

, who bought the Hacienda Lobatón in 1819 and half of the Hacienda Cónsac, and wife Paula Odria y Granados, daughter of the owners of Hacienda Rumichaca Juan Ignacio Odria and wife Manuela Granados, sister of Marcelo Granados (La Asunción de Mito, 1758 - ?),

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

of La Trinidad de Huancayo. Manuel Candamo spend his early years in the "Colegio de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe". After graduating from high school, he was accepted in the

National University of San Marcos The National University of San Marcos ( es, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, link=no, UNMSM) is a public research university located in Lima, the capital of Peru. It is considered the most important, recognized and representative educ ...

, where he obtained a bachelor's degree on

Jurisprudence Jurisprudence, or legal theory, is the theoretical study of the propriety of law. Scholars of jurisprudence seek to explain the nature of law in its most general form and they also seek to achieve a deeper understanding of legal reasoning a ...

Early political career

Pezet and the Chinchan Islands War

In 1863, Cándamo started to work for " El Comercio", one of the oldest newspapers in the capital. From there, he was a harsh critic of President

Juan Antonio Pezet 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 throughout his life. A ...

and the "Vivanco-Pareja Treaty", specifically for the way of how the government was handling the diplomatic crisis with Spain. For his actions, he was exiled to Chile, returning only after

Mariano Ignacio Prado Mariano Ignacio Prado Ochoa (December 18, 1825 – May 5, 1901) was a Peruvian army general who served as the 16th (1865 - 1868) and 21st (1876 - 1879) President of Peru. Biography Born in Huánuco on December 18, 1825, he studied in Huanuco an ...

's successfully launched a coup against Pezet. After the revolution, he was an active supporter of Prado during the

Chincha Islands War The Chincha Islands War, also known as Spanish–South American War ( es, Guerra hispano-sudamericana), was a series of coastal and naval battles between Spain and its former colonies of Peru, Chile, Ecuador, and Bolivia from 1865 to 1879. The ...

. When the Peruvian Congress refused to recognize Prado's government, Cándamo traveled to Chile as part of the Peruvian diplomatic mission. He did not stay on

, and left that country for Europe and Asia.

Civilista Party

Manuel Cándamo, together with Manuel Pardo, was among the founding members of the

Civilista Party The Civilista Party ( es, Partido Civil, PC) was a political party in Peru. History Founded as a countermeasure against the growing power of the military in Peru during the first half of the Republic, the party's sole purpose was to establish a ...

. The party itself achieved public notoriety for being the first organized political party in Peru, and because it was also the first one to be composed primarily of civilians. During this period, Cándamo successfully started once again his political career and several economic businesses.

War of the Pacific and Reconstruction

After the collapse of the Peruvian Southern Armies and the imminent invasion of

, Cándamo took part in the defense of the city, fighting in the Battles of San Juan and Miraflores. When the city is occupied by the Chilean Army, Cándamo and several other prominent politicians are deported to Chile due to their opposition to any peace proposal that involved ceding

Tarapacá San Lorenzo de Tarapacá, also known simply as Tarapacá, is a town in the region of the same name in Chile. History The town has likely been inhabited since the 12th century, when it formed part of the Inca trail. When Spanish explorer Diego d ...

Tacna Tacna was known for its mining industry; it had significant deposits of sodium nitrate and other resources. Its economic prosperity attracted a wave of immigrants from Italy. Today, their Italian Peruvian descendants live in the city and many of t ...

and

Arica Arica ( ; ) is a Communes of Chile, commune and a port city with a population of 222,619 in the Arica Province of northern Chile's Arica y Parinacota Region. It is Chile's northernmost city, being located only south of the border with Peru. The ...

to the Chileans. Candamo returned to Peru after the

Treaty of Ancón The Treaty of Ancón was a peace treaty signed by Chile and Peru on 20 October 1883, in Ancón District, Ancón, near Lima. It was intended to settle the two nations' remaining territorial differences at the conclusion of their involvement in the ...

was signed and the war over, and is once again deported for his opposition to President

Miguel Iglesias Miguel Iglesias Pino de Arce was born on 11 June 1830 in Cajamarca, Peru, and died on 7 November 1909 in Lima, Peru. He was a Peruvian soldier, general, and politician who served as the 26th President of Peru ( Regenerator President of the Repub ...

and support to

Andrés Avelino Cáceres Andrés Avelino Cáceres Dorregaray (November 10, 1836 – October 10, 1923) served as the President of Peru two times during the 19th century, from 1886 to 1890 as the 27th President of Peru, and again from 1894 to 1895 as the 30th Preside ...

. Once Iglesias is overthrown and Cáceres is in power, Candamo was elected to the Senate, reaching its

presidency A presidency is an administration or the executive, the collective administrative and governmental entity that exists around an office of president of a state or nation. Although often the executive branch of government, and often personified by a ...

in 1888, 1890 and 1892.

Later political career

President of the Junta

A member of the

, Candamo served as mayor of

. After

was forced to resign from the Presidency in 1894, Candamo was selected to head a "Provisional Government Junta" and to call for new elections.

Nicolás de Piérola Jose Nicolás Baltasar Fernández de Piérola y Villena (known as "''El Califa''" ("The Caliph"); January 5, 1839 – June 23, 1913) was a Peruvian politician and Minister of Finance of Peru, Minister of Finance who served as the 23rd and 31 ...

, allied with the

, won the election.

President of the Senate

During the administration of

Eduardo López de Romaña Eduardo López de Romaña y Alvizuri (19 March 1847 – 26 May 1912) served as the 32nd President of Peru from September 1899 to September 1903. A member of the landowning elite, he was the first engineer to become President of the Republic ...

, he was elected President of the Peruvian Senate (both 1897 and 1901). This was done after the Civilista and Democratic parties reached a compromise and divided their political influence in the government. For the Election of 1903, Cándamo was regarded as a moderate candidate and the more trusted political figure in the Civilista Party. After being elected president, Cándamo became ill and died in office. He was married to Teresa Alvarez-Calderón. Following a brief interim government headed by Serapio Calderón, Cándamo was succeeded by his foreign minister José Pardo.

Personal life

Manuel Candamo married Teresa Álvarez-Calderón, and had two daughters. One daughter, Teresa De La Cruz, founded the convent Canonesas de La Cruz, and was given the title of

Servant of God "Servant of God" is a title used in the Catholic Church to indicate that an individual is on the first step toward possible canonization as a saint. Terminology The expression "servant of God" appears nine times in the Bible, the first five in th ...

in 1981 by the Catholic Church, which means she is being considered for possible

saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...

hood. He was the brother-in-law of Anglo-Peruvian

guano Guano (Spanish from qu, wanu) is the accumulated excrement of seabirds or bats. As a manure, guano is a highly effective fertilizer due to the high content of nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium, all key nutrients essential for plant growth. G ...

millionaire

John Pablo Bryce John Pablo Bryce of Bystock Court, Exmouth, Devon (10 October 1846 in Callao, Peru – 3 March 1901 in Rome, Italy) was a member of the British gentry. Family He was the son of John Paul Bryce (1817 in Edinburgh – 9 March 1888 in Biarri ...

, and thus a great-great uncle

Alexandra Hamilton, Duchess of Abercorn Alexandra Anastasia Hamilton, Duchess of Abercorn, (''née'' Phillips; 27 February 1946 – 10 December 2018) was a British peeress and philanthropist. She was the wife of James Hamilton, 5th Duke of Abercorn, and a descendant of Russian poet ...

, and

Natalia Grosvenor, Duchess of Westminster Natalia Ayesha Grosvenor, Duchess of Westminster (''née'' Phillips; born 8 May 1959), is a British aristocrat, philanthropist and winemaker. She is the widow of the 6th Duke of Westminster and mother of the 7th Duke. As of 2021, the Duchess's f ...

, as well as a great uncle of Janet Mercedes Bryce, Marchioness of Milford Haven, wife of

David Mountbatten, 3rd Marquess of Milford Haven Lieutenant David Michael Mountbatten, 3rd Marquess of Milford Haven, (12 May 1919 – 14 April 1970), styled Viscount Alderney before 1921 and Earl of Medina between 1921 and 1938, was the son of the George Mountbatten, 2nd Marquess of Milford ...

. He was the great-uncle of Clotilde de Silva y Gonzáles de Candamo (July 19, 1898 – December 12, 1978), daughter of the 10th

Marquis de Arcicóllar Marquis de Arcicóllar is a Spanish noble title created by Charles II of Spain on 13 May 1680. The title was first given to Luisa Fernanda de Córdoba by Charles II in 1680. This title has remained in the Marquis de Santa Cruz family since then ...

, second wife of

Hans Heinrich XV von Hochberg Hans Heinrich XV von Hochberg ( pl, Jan Henryk XV; 23 April 1861 – 31 January 1938) was Prince of Pless (Pszczyna), Count von Hochberg and Baron of Fürstenstein ( Książ). He was the husband (1891–1923) of Mary Theresa Olivia Hochberg von P ...

, Prince of Pless, and after divorce the wife of Hans Heinrich XV's son Bolko, with two children by each husband.