Máximo Benito Santos Barbosa (15 April 1847 – 19 May 1889) was a
Uruguay
Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
an political and military figure.
Background
Santos pursued a career in the military, prior to serving as Minister for War from 1880 to 1882. He was a member of the
Colorado Party (Uruguay)
The Colorado Party ( es, Partido Colorado, lit=Red Party) is a liberal political party in Uruguay.
Ideology
The party seeks to unite moderate and liberal groups, although its members have had a diverse set of ideologies since its foundat ...
.
In 1882
Miguel Alberto Flangini Ximénez, who served briefly as acting
President of Uruguay
The president of Uruguay ( es, Presidente del Uruguay), officially known as the president of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay (), is the head of state and head of government of Uruguay. Their rights are determined in the Constitution of Urugu ...
, stepped down from office.
President of Uruguay (1st term)
Succeeding acting President Flangini, Santos served as
President of Uruguay
The president of Uruguay ( es, Presidente del Uruguay), officially known as the president of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay (), is the head of state and head of government of Uruguay. Their rights are determined in the Constitution of Urugu ...
from 1882 until 1886.
Creation of Flores Department
Among Santos's lasting acts as President was the creation of the
Flores Department in the interior of the country, named after assassinated former
President of Uruguay
The president of Uruguay ( es, Presidente del Uruguay), officially known as the president of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay (), is the head of state and head of government of Uruguay. Their rights are determined in the Constitution of Urugu ...
General
Venancio Flores, who hailed from the territory incorporated as a department.
Other features of his rule
He also in a measure repaired relations with
Paraguay
Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to t ...
.
However, his administration was also widely criticized for failure to root out corruption.
Succession
Santos was succeeded as president by
Francisco Antonino Vidal in 1886. Santos served as the
President of the Senate of Uruguay in 1886.
President of Uruguay (second interim term)
Subsequently, after relinquishing presidential office in 1886, Santos returned to exercise presidential powers for a number of months in 1886.
Succession
Santos was succeeded as president by his Colorado Party colleague
Máximo Tajes
Máximo Tajes Caceres (November 23, 1852 – November 21, 1912) was a Uruguayan political figure.'Máximo Tajes', Wikipedia (in Spanish) :es:Máximo Tajes
Background
Tajes came from a military background. He was a member of the Colorado Party ( ...
, with whom, however, he had poor relations. Tajes was still exercising his presidential office at Santos's death.
Later life; death in exile
Subsequent to the relinquishing of his presidential office for the second time, Santos travelled in
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
, and was unable to return to
Uruguay
Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
.
Still aged in his early 40s, Santos died in exile in
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
,
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 ...
, in 1889.
Legacy
Santos' magnificent residence in
downtown Montevideo nowadays is the seat of the
Ministry of Foreign Relations of Uruguay and is known as
Palacio Santos
Palacio (''palace'') is a Spanish habitational name. It may have originated from many places in Spain, especially in Galicia and Asturies. Notable people with the surname include:
*Agustina Palacio de Libarona (1825-1880), Argentine writer, story ...
. His country estate now houses the
Museo de la Memoria, a state-owned museum dedicated to the victims of the
Uruguayan dictatorship.
See also
*
Colorado Party (Uruguay)#Earlier History
*
Politics of Uruguay
The politics of Uruguay abide by a presidential representative democratic republic, under which the President of Uruguay is both the head of state and the head of government, as well as a multiform party system. The president exercises executiv ...
*
Miguel Alberto Flangini Ximénez#Interim President of Uruguay
*
Máximo Tajes#President of Uruguay
*
Flores Department#History and cultural heritage
References
External links
Biography
1847 births
1889 deaths
People from Pando, Uruguay
Presidents of Uruguay
Presidents of the Senate of Uruguay
Colorado Party (Uruguay) politicians
Defence ministers of Uruguay
19th-century Uruguayan people
Uruguayan military personnel
{{Uruguay-politician-stub