Francisco Javier Martínez de Zaldúa y Racines was a Colombian, lawyer and politician, elected President of Colombia in 1882.

Biographic data

Zaldúa was born in Bogotá, Cundinamarca, on December 3, 1811. He died in the same city, in the Government Palace, on December 21, 1882. He was the first Colombian President to die while in office.

Early life

His father was don Manuel Maria Zaldúa, a prominent member of the Nueva Granada high society and a very wealthy man. He donated most of his fortune to the cause of independence and in particular to General

Antonio Nariño Antonio Amador José de Nariño y Álvarez del Casal (Santa Fé de Bogotá, Colombia 1765 – 1824 Villa de Leyva, Colombia)Hector, M., and A. Ardila. Hombres y mujeres en las letras de Colombia. 2. Bogota: Magisterio, 2008. 25. Print. was a C ...

. When the Spanish "Pacificador", General Pablo Morillo, made his triumphant entry in Bogotá, the Zaldúa family was attending the military parade. Zaldúa's father was so offended and outraged, that he suffered a massive heart attack and died instantly. Zaldúa studied jurisprudence and theology at the " Colegio Mayor de San Bartolomé", where he graduated with a double mayor and obtained diplomas in Law and Divinity.

Professional career

Zaldúa was a professor of Civil Law and Canonical Law between 1837 and 1866. He later entered the judicial branch where he advanced all the way to Justice of the Supreme Court. As President of this legislative body, Zaldúa became the ''de facto'' President of the United States of Colombia for 6 days, when President

Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera Tomás Cipriano Ignacio María de Mosquera-Figueroa y Arboleda-Salazar (September 26, 1798 – October 7, 1878) was a Colombian general, political figure. He was president of Colombia four times. The first time was as president of Republic of N ...

ceded executive power to the convention, and until the said convention elected a

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 nati ...

to serve collectively as the Colombian

head of state A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and l ...

Political career

Zaldúa initiated his political career by being elected to the City Council of Bogotá. In 1840 he was elected to the House of Representatives and, later to the Senate, both in representation of his native state of Cundinamarca. He was also appointed as Minister of Government during the administration of President

José Hilario López José Hilario López Valdés (18 February 1798, Popayán, Cauca – 27 November 1869, Campoalegre, Huila) was a Colombian politician and military officer. He was the President of Colombia between 1849 and 1853.Arismendi Posada, Ignacio; ...

. Zaldúa served as President of the

Rionegro Rionegro () is a city and municipality in Antioquia Department, Colombia, located in the subregion of Eastern Antioquia. The official name of the city is "Ciudad Santiago de Arma de Rionegro". Rio Negro means "Black River" in Spanish, as the cit ...

Convention, a

constituent assembly A constituent assembly (also known as a constitutional convention, constitutional congress, or constitutional assembly) is a body assembled for the purpose of drafting or revising a constitution. Members of a constituent assembly may be elected b ...

that created 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 ...

, now the Republic of Colombia.

Presidency

In 1881, the presidential campaign to succeed the conservative President Rafael Núñez was taking place. Zaldúa was a man of immense prestige and reputation and José María Rojas Garrido nominated him as candidate for the presidency. The

Colombian Liberal Party The Colombian Liberal Party ( es, Partido Liberal Colombiano; PLC) is a centre to centre-left political party in Colombia. It was founded as a classical liberal party but later developed a more social-democratic tradition, joining the Sociali ...

, which had been divided for many years, united around his name. Zaldúa was 71 years old by then. Former president

Aquileo Parra José Bonifacio Aquileo Elias Parra y Gómez de la Vega was a Colombian soldier, businessman and political figure. He was the President of Colombia between 1876 and 1878.Arismendi Posada, Ignacio; ''Gobernantes Colombianos''; trans. Colombian Pre ...

led the convention's commission that went to his home to request his acceptance. Zaldúa, in his acceptance speech said: ''“In the sunset of my life, I have nothing else to offer to the liberal party, but my last days. I hereby accept this nomination as my death sentence”''. The Conservative Party abstained from the

elections An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold Public administration, public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative ...

, and Zaldúa defeated fellow Liberal Solón Wilches. He was inaugurated on April 1, 1882.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zaldua, Francisco Javier 1811 births 1882 deaths Politicians from Bogotá Presidential Designates of Colombia Colombian people of Basque descent Colombian Liberal Party politicians 19th-century Colombian lawyers Presidents of Colombia