Santiago Pérez de Manosalbas was a Colombian educator, lawyer, diplomat, writer, journalist and

statesman A statesman or stateswoman typically is a politician who has had a long and respected political career at the national or international level. Statesman or Statesmen may also refer to: Newspapers United States * ''The Statesman'' (Oregon), a n ...

who was

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 ...

of the

United States of Colombia United States of Colombia () was the name adopted in 1863 by the for the Granadine Confederation, after years of civil war. Colombia became a federal state itself composed of nine "sovereign states.” It comprised the present-day nations ...

between 1874 and 1876.Arismendi Posada, Ignacio; ''Gobernantes Colombianos''; trans. Colombian Presidents; Interprint Editors Ltd.; Italgraf; Segunda Edición; Page 97; Bogotá, Colombia; 1983

Biographic data

Pérez was born in

Zipaquirá Zipaquirá () is a municipality and city of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca. Its neighboring municipalities are Cogua and Nemocón to the north; Tocancipá to the east; Tabio, Cajicá and Sopó to the south; and Subachoque and Pacho ...

, Cundinamarca, on May 23, 1830, in what was then the

Republic of New Granada The Republic of New Granada was a 1831–1858 centralist unitary republic consisting primarily of present-day Colombia and Panama with smaller portions of today's Costa Rica, Ecuador, Venezuela, Peru and Brazil. On 9 May 1834, the national flag wa ...

. Born to a family of farmers, his parents were Felipe Pérez and Rosa Manosalbas. He died while in exile in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

on August 5, 1900 at the age of 70.Arismendi Posada, Ignacio; ''Gobernantes Colombianos''; trans. Colombian Presidents; Interprint Editors Ltd.; Italgraf; Segunda Edición; Page 100; Bogotá, Colombia; 1983 He was buried in the

Batignolles Cemetery The Batignolles Cemetery (french: Cimetière des Batignolles) is a cemetery in Paris. History Batignolles Cemetery opened on 22 August 1833. Part of the cemetery had to be closed and the graves moved because of the construction of the great ring ...

in Paris and there he rested until 1952, when his remains were

repatriated Repatriation is the process of returning a thing or a person to its country of origin or citizenship. The term may refer to non-human entities, such as converting a foreign currency into the currency of one's own country, as well as to the pro ...

and buried in the

Central Cemetery of Bogotá Central Cemetery of Bogotá (Spanish: ) is one of the main and most famous cemeteries in Colombia located in Bogotá. Houses several national heroes, poets and former Colombian presidents. It was opened in 1836 and was declared National Monument i ...

Early life

The Pérez de Manosalbas was not a family of means, and Santiago and his brother Felipe Pérez went to the local public school in

, but they excelled beyond their teachers’ expectations. When the Director of Public Instruction Lorenzo María Lleras went to Zipaquirá to visit the school, he was impressed by Santiago and Felipe’s talent and potential. Lleras decided to help them and took them with him to

Our Lady of the Rosary University Universidad del Rosario (officially in es, Colegio Mayor de Nuestra Señora del Rosario) is a Colombian university founded on Roman Catholic principles, in 1653 by Fray Cristobal de Torres. Located in Bogotá, due to its important place in Col ...

, where he was the rector. He later took them to the “Colegio del Espíritu Santo”, a higher education school, which Lleras had founded. There, Pérez studied jurisprudence and on May 23, 1830, he received his law degree, although he never professed this occupation, as he was a man of letters and politics.

Private life

Pérez was married to Tadea Triana Silva; together they had four children, Santiago, Paulina, Eduardo and Amelia. Amelia married

Clímaco Calderón Clímaco Calderón Reyes (August 23, 1852 – July 19, 1913) was a Colombian lawyer and politician, who became 15th President of Colombia for one day, following the death of President Francisco Javier Zaldúa. Biographic data Calderón was b ...

, future President of Colombia. Eduardo became a diplomat. Santiago followed in his fathers footsteps, becoming a writer, politician, diplomat, and journalist.

Career as an educator

Pérez started his true calling as an educator working as a teacher in

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

and

Spanish literature Spanish literature generally refers to literature ( Spanish poetry, prose, and drama) written in the Spanish language within the territory that presently constitutes the Kingdom of Spain. Its development coincides and frequently intersects wit ...

while studying law in the Colegio del Espíritu Santo. In 1857 together with his brother Felipe, they established the Colegio Pérez Hermanos, a learning institution that taught such people as the linguist

Rufino José Cuervo Rufino José Cuervo Urisarri ( Bogotá, Colombia), was a Colombian writer, linguist, and philologist. He studied Latin and Greek, but the main part of his work was dedicated to the study of the dialectal variations of Spanish spoken in Colombia ...

. During the second administration of president

Manuel Murillo Toro Manuel Murillo Toro (January 1, 1816–December 26, 1880) was a Colombian statesman who served as President of the United States of Colombia (present day Colombia) on two occasions, first from 1864 to 1866, and again between 1872 and 1874.A ...

he was appointed Director of Public Instruction while also working as

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of the

National University of Colombia The National University of Colombia () is a national public research university in Colombia, with general campuses in Bogotá, Medellín, Manizales and Palmira, and satellite campuses in Leticia, San Andrés, Arauca, Tumaco, and La Paz, Ces ...

. In his prominent role as Director of Public Instruction he fomented education and the construction of new schools.

Comisión Corográfica

In 1852 Pérez joined the Comisión Corográfica, a state funded expedition led by

Agustin Codazzi Giovanni Battista Agostino Codazzi (alternatively known in Latin America as Agustín Codazzi; 12 July 1793 – 7 February 1859) was an Italo-Venezuelan soldier, scientist, geographer, cartographer, and governor of Barinas (1846–1847 ...

whose goal was to map out the entire country and collect information on its inhabitants. Pérez worked as secretary of the expedition, replacing

Manuel Ancízar Manuel Esteban Ancízar Basterra (25 December 1812 — 21 May 1882) was a Colombian lawyer, writer, and journalist. He founded a publishing house and a newspaper before joining the Chorographic Commission in 1850. He also served as the 4th ...

, who had fallen ill along the trip. His mission was to record events, places, descriptions, statistics, and other valuable information of the places they went to. During his time in the commission, he traveled to

Neiva Neiva () is the capital of the Department of Huila. It is located in the valley of the Magdalena River in south central Colombia with a population of about 357,392 inhabitants. It is one of the most important cities in southern Colombia, mainly ...

, Mariquita, Chocó, Casanare,

Bogotá Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city of Colombia, and one of the larges ...

, and the territory of the Caquetá. He published his studies in the newspaper ''El Neo-Granadino'', and wrote a memoir on the expedition entitled ''Apuntes de un viajero por Antioquia y el sur de la Nueva Granada''.

Political career

Pérez was elected MP and assisted to congress in several legislatures. In 1869, between June 23–30, he acted as interim president during the government of General

Santos Gutiérrez José Santos Gutiérrez Prieto was a Colombian statesman and soldier, who became president of the Sovereign State of Boyacá, and later elected as president of the United States of Colombia for the term of 1868-1870.Arismendi Posada, Ignacio; ...

.Arismendi Posada, Ignacio; ''Gobernantes Colombianos''; trans. Colombian Presidents; Interprint Editors Ltd.; Italgraf; Segunda Edición; Page 98; Bogotá, Colombia; 1983 He also served as Secretary of the

Interior Interior may refer to: Arts and media * ''Interior'' (Degas) (also known as ''The Rape''), painting by Edgar Degas * ''Interior'' (play), 1895 play by Belgian playwright Maurice Maeterlinck * ''The Interior'' (novel), by Lisa See * Interior de ...

and

Foreign Affairs ''Foreign Affairs'' is an American magazine of international relations and U.S. foreign policy published by the Council on Foreign Relations, a nonprofit, nonpartisan, membership organization and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and ...

between 1868 and 1870. Later, he was appointed

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 ...

to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

The Presidency

Pérez, being considered an educator rather than a politician, chose education as his highest priority. He strengthened training facilities for teachers, ordered the construction of various

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...

s, and consolidated the

. As president he, and members of his staff assisted the graduation ceremonies of young professionals to show support from the government. He promoted the expansion of the national

railways Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

system, including the construction of the ''"Ferrocarril del Norte"'' and the acquisition of the ''"Ferrocarril de Bolívar"''. During his administration the civil war of 1875-76 broke out.Arismendi Posada, Ignacio; ''Gobernantes Colombianos''; trans. Colombian Presidents; Interprint Editors Ltd.; Italgraf; Segunda Edición; Page 99; Bogotá, Colombia; 1983

Writer

Pérez started out early on in his life to write.

Selected works

* ''Vivo o muerto'',

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

verse Verse may refer to: Poetry * Verse, an occasional synonym for poetry * Verse, a metrical structure, a stanza * Blank verse, a type of poetry having regular meter but no rhyme * Free verse, a type of poetry written without the use of strict me ...

. * ''Leonor'',

legend A legend is a Folklore genre, genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived, both by teller and listeners, to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human valu ...

. * ''El manual del ciudadano'', an instruction

pamphlet A pamphlet is an unbound book (that is, without a hard cover or binding). Pamphlets may consist of a single sheet of paper that is printed on both sides and folded in half, in thirds, or in fourths, called a ''leaflet'' or it may consist of a ...

on how to be a good citizen. * ''Jacobo Molai'', a drama in five acts based on the life of

Jacques de Molay Jacques de Molay (; c. 1240–1250 – 11 or 18 March 1314), also spelled "Molai",Demurger, pp. 1-4. "So no conclusive decision can be reached, and we must stay in the realm of approximations, confining ourselves to placing Molay's date of birth ...

. * ''El castillo de Berkley'', a historic drama in five acts composed in verse, based around the Berkley Castle. * Economía política y estadística, a recompilation of Pérez’ works as a teacher of economy, published in 2002 by the Universidad Externado de Colombia.

Philology and linguistics

As a literate, he wrote the Compendio de gramática castellana por un granadino, which became a required book for the instruction of the

Spanish language Spanish ( or , Castilian) is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European language family that evolved from colloquial Latin spoken on the Iberian peninsula. Today, it is a world language, global language with more than 500 millio ...

in Colombia For all his knowledge of the grammar and essence of the

Castilian language In English, Castilian Spanish can mean the variety of Peninsular Spanish spoken in northern and central Spain, the standard form of Spanish, or Spanish from Spain in general. In Spanish, the term (Castilian) can either refer to the Spanish languag ...

, Pérez was elected member of the

Academia Colombiana de la Lengua The Academia Colombiana de la Lengua (Spanish for ''Colombian Academy of Language'') is an association of academics and experts on the use of the Spanish language in Colombia. It is based in Bogotá, Colombia's capital, and is a member of the ...

(Colombian Academy of the Language) as one of its original founders, along as other prominent members as

Miguel Antonio Caro Miguel Antonio Caro Tobar (November 10, 1845 – August 5, 1909) was a Colombian scholar, poet, journalist, philosopher, orator, philologist, lawyer, and politician. Early life His father, José Eusebio Caro and Mariano Ospina Rodríguez ...

, and his former student Rufino José Cuervo among others. * ''Gramática filosófica del Idioma Español'' * ''Compendio de gramática castellana por un granadino'' * ''Gramática abreviada de don Andres Bello'', written in 1881 in commemoration of the centenary of the great

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

n philologist

Andrés Bello Andrés de Jesús María y José Bello López (; November 29, 1781 – October 15, 1865) was a Venezuelan- Chilean humanist, diplomat, poet, legislator, philosopher, educator and philologist, whose political and literary works constitute an ...

Memoirs

* ''Apuntes de un viaje por el sur de la Nueva Granada'', memoir form his expedition in the Comisión Corográfica * ''Memoria del secretario de lo Interior y Relaciones Exteriores al Congreso nacional de 1869''Biblioteca Nacional de la República de Colombia, Bogotá, 1869, Sala 1, Nº 13.929, pieza 2.

Theatre

* ''Jacobo Molai'', an adaptation of his book of the same name. It debuted on November 15, 1851 in the ''Colegio Espíritu Santo'' and directed by his mentor Lorenzo María Lleras. * ''El castillo de Berkley'', inspired by his book, debuted on October 13, 1853 in the Maldonado Theater in Bogotá. * ''Nemequene'', drama inspired by the

Muisca The Muisca (also called Chibcha) are an indigenous people and culture of the Altiplano Cundiboyacense, Colombia, that formed the Muisca Confederation before the Spanish conquest. The people spoke Muysccubun, a language of the Chibchan langu ...

ruler

Nemequene Nemequene or Nemeguene (died 1514) was the third ruler (''zipa'') of Bacatá as of 1490. His ''zaque'' counterpart ruling over the northern area of the Muisca territory was Quemuenchatocha. Etymology Nemequene in the Chibcha language of the Mui ...

, 3rd ''

zipa When the Spanish arrived in the central Colombian highlands, the region was organized into the Muisca Confederation, which had two rulers; the ''zipa'' was the ruler of the southern part and based in Muyquytá. The ''hoa'' was the ruler of the n ...

'' of

Bacatá Bacatá is the name given to the main settlement of the Muisca Confederation on the Bogotá savanna. It mostly refers to an area, rather than an individual village, although the name is also found in texts referring to the modern settlement of Fu ...

Translations

* ''Casarse o no casarse'', “To Marry of not to Marry”, English

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

Elizabeth Inchbald Elizabeth Inchbald (née Simpson, 15 October 1753 – 1 August 1821) was an English novelist, actress, dramatist, and translator. Her two novels, '' A Simple Story'' and '' Nature and Art'', have received particular critical attention. Life Bo ...

Journalism

Pérez served as collaborator for the newspapers, ''El Neo-Granadino'' (1851), '' El Tiempo'' (1856), ''El Mensajero'' (1866), ''El Relator'' (1893), ''La Defensa'' and ''La América'' (1880). He published various articles on different topics including politics, literature and economy.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Perez De Manosalbas, Santiago 1830 births 1900 deaths People from Zipaquirá Colombian journalists Male journalists 19th-century Colombian lawyers Colombian Liberal Party politicians Colombian Secretaries of Foreign Affairs Colombian Secretaries of the Interior Colombian male writers Presidents of Colombia Presidential Designates of Colombia Burials at Central Cemetery of Bogotá 19th-century journalists 19th-century male writers