José María Pérez de Urdininea (31 October 1784 – 4 November 1865) was a Bolivian military officer and statesman who served as the third

president of Bolivia The president of Bolivia ( es, Presidente de Bolivia), officially known as the president of the Plurinational State of Bolivia ( es, Presidente del Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia), is head of state and head of government of Bolivia and the ca ...

in 1828. He was the first Bolivian president to be born in Bolivia itself. He fought with the patriots against the Argentines in

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

. Despite being

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 ...

for only three months, Pérez held a number of important positions in the Bolivian government including Minister of War between 1841 and 1847.

Early life

Youth and the Spanish American Wars of Independence

José María Pérez de Urdininea was born in the Anquioma hacienda, near Luribay on 31 October 1784. He studied at the La Paz seminary before later studying in

Cochabamba Cochabamba ( ay, Quchapampa; qu, Quchapampa) is a city and municipality in central Bolivia in a valley in the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cochabamba Department and the fourth largest city in Bolivia, with a population of 630 ...

. He joined the

Bolivian War of Independence Bolivian may refer to: * Something of, or related to Bolivia ** Bolivian people ** Demographics of Bolivia ** Culture of Bolivia * SS ''Bolivian'', a British-built standard cargo ship A cargo ship or freighter is a merchant ship that carries ...

in 1809, fighting in the Battle of Huaqui, after which he was taken wounded to

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 ...

where he joined the army of

Manuel Belgrano Manuel José Joaquín del Corazón de Jesús Belgrano y González (3 June 1770 – 20 June 1820), usually referred to as Manuel Belgrano (), was an Argentine public servant, economist, lawyer, politician, journalist, and military leader. He ...

and fought in the

Battle of Tucumán The Battle of Tucumán was a battle fought on 24 and 25 September 1812 near the Argentine city of San Miguel de Tucumán, during the Argentine War of Independence. The Army of the North, commanded by General Manuel Belgrano, defeated the royal ...

and the

Battle of Salta The Battle of Salta took place on February 20, 1813 on the plains of Castañares, north of the present-day Argentine city of Salta, during the Argentine War of Independence. The Army of the North, under the command of general Manuel Belgrano, ...

during the Argentine War of Independence. He fought from 1811 to 1821 under the command of various other Argentine leaders including

José Rondeau José Casimiro Rondeau Pereyra (March 4, 1773 – November 18, 1844) was a general and politician in Argentina and Uruguay in the early 19th century. Life and Politics He was born in Buenos Aires but soon after his birth, the family moved t ...

Martín Miguel de Güemes Martín Miguel de Güemes (8 February 1785 – 17 June 1821) was a military leader and popular caudillo who defended northwestern Argentina from the Spain, Spanish royalist army during the Argentine War of Independence. Biography Güemes was bor ...

, and

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 centr ...

. From 1822 to 1823 he was the Governor of San Juan Province, where he formed an army of 500 men under the command of

José María Paz Brigadier General José María Paz y Haedo (September 9, 1791 – October 22, 1854) was an Argentine military figure, notable in the Argentine War of Independence and the Argentine Civil Wars. Childhood Born in Córdoba, Argentina, the son ...

to invade

Upper Peru Upper Peru (; ) is a name for the land that was governed by the Real Audiencia of Charcas. The name originated in Buenos Aires towards the end of the 18th century after the Audiencia of Charcas was transferred from the Viceroyalty of Peru to t ...

. In early 1825, together with Governor of Salta Juan Antonio Álvarez de Arenales, Pérez received the surrender of the last Spanish royalist chief in the territory of

Río de la Plata The Río de la Plata (, "river of silver"), also called the River Plate or La Plata River in English, is the estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River at Punta Gorda. It empties into the Atlantic Ocean and fo ...

The Bolivian Republic and Presidency

Acting President

Bolivian President

Antonio José de Sucre Antonio José de Sucre y Alcalá (; 3 February 1795 – 4 June 1830), known as the "Gran Mariscal de Ayacucho" ( en, "Grand Marshal of Ayacucho"), was a Venezuelan independence leader who served as the president of Peru and as the second p ...

incorporated Pérez into the

Bolivian Army The Bolivian Army ( es, Ejército Boliviano) is the land force branch of the Armed Forces of Bolivia. Figures on the size and composition of the Bolivian army vary considerably, with little official data available. It is estimated that the arm ...

, appointing him Minister of War on 9 December 1827 and later President of the Council of Ministers. It was in this capacity that he took command of the government on 18 April 1828 after Sucre was wounded in an army revolt. Accused of not having faced the invasion of

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, Sh ...

, Pérez retired to one of his estates for more than ten years.

The War of the Confederation and death

In 1838, Marshal Andrés de Santa Cruz, then President of Bolivia and Protector of the

Peru–Bolivian Confederation The Peru–Bolivian Confederation was a short-lived state that existed in South America between 1836 and 1839. The country was a loose confederation between the states of Peru, divided into the Republic of North Peru and the Republic of South Pe ...

, reincorporated him into the army. He participated in the

Battle of Yungay The Battle of Yungay (or Yungai) was the final battle of the War of the Confederation, fought on January 20, 1839, near Yungay, Peru. The United Restorer Army, led by Chilean General Manuel Bulnes, consisting mainly of Chileans and 600 North ...

which ultimately resulted in the dissolution of the Peru-Bolivian Confederation. He served again as Minister of War during the governments of

José Ballivián José Ballivián Segurola (5 May 1805 – 6 October 1852) was a Bolivian general during the Peruvian-Bolivian War. He also served as the ninth president of Bolivia from 1841 to 1847. Early life Born in La Paz to wealthy parents, Ballivián ha ...

in 1843 and

Jorge Córdova Jorge Córdova (23 April 1822, in La Paz – 23 October 1861) was a Bolivian general and politician who served as the 12th president of Bolivia from 1855 to 1857. Early life Childhood Jorge Córdova was born on April 23, 1822, in the cit ...

from 1855 to 1857. He died on 4 November 1865.

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Perez de Urdininea, Jose Maria 1784 births 1865 deaths 19th-century Argentine military personnel 19th-century Bolivian politicians Argentine generals Bolivian generals Córdova administration cabinet members Defense ministers of Bolivia Governors of San Juan Province, Argentina José Ballivián administration cabinet members People from José Ramón Loayza Province People of the Argentine War of Independence People of the Bolivian War of Independence Presidents of Bolivia Presidents of the Chamber of Deputies (Bolivia)