Pedro Alcántara Herrán Martínez de Zaldúa (October 19, 1800 in

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 ...

, Viceroyalty of the New GranadaArismendi Posada, Ignacio; ''Gobernantes Colombianos''; trans. Colombian Presidents; Interprint Editors Ltd., Italgraf, Segunda Edición; Page 41; Bogotá, Colombia; 1983 - April 26, 1872 in

Arismendi Posada, Ignacio; ''Gobernantes Colombianos''; trans. Colombian Presidents; Interprint Editors Ltd., Italgraf, Segunda Edición; Page 43; Bogotá, Colombia; 1983)) was a Colombian general and statesman who served as

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

Republic of the 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 ...

between 1841 and 1845.Arismendi Posada, Ignacio; ''Gobernantes Colombianos''; trans. Colombian Presidents; Interprint Editors Ltd.; Italgraf; Segunda Edición; Page 261; Bogotá, Colombia; 1983 As a general he served in the wars of independence of the New Granada and of

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

Biographic data

Herrán was born and died in

. He was also the son-in-law of

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 ...

Early life

Herrán initiated his education in the Colegio Mayor de San Bartolomé in Bogotá, but he dropped out of school at the age of 14 to join the revolutionary army in 1814.

Military career

He enlisted in the revolutionary army of General

Simón Bolívar Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios (24 July 1783 – 17 December 1830) was a Venezuelan military and political leader who led what are currently the countries of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Panama and B ...

as a teenager. He fought in several battles, and in the battle of Cuchilla del Tambo he was captured by the Spanish forces. He was court-martialed and sentenced to death by the military court. His death sentence was commuted in exchange for serving in the Spanish Army, which he did for five years. Later, he escaped and rejoined the revolutionary army of General

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 pr ...

with the rank of captain. He joined the armies of the southern campaigns in Nueva Granada and Perú. He fought at the battles of Bomboná (April 7, 1822), Junín (August 6, 1824), and

Ayacucho Ayacucho (, qu, Ayak'uchu) is the capital city of Ayacucho Region and of Huamanga Province, Ayacucho Region, Peru. During the Inca Empire and Viceroyalty of Peru periods the city was known by the name of Huamanga (Quechua: Wamanga), and it c ...

(December 9, 1824). Bolívar promoted him to the rank of General in 1828. Later, he was commissioned as Military Chief of the province of

Panamá Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cost ...

. In 1839, Herrán defended the government of

José Ignacio de Márquez José Ignacio de Márquez Barreto (7 September 1793 – 21 March 1880) was a Colombian statesman, lawyer and professor, who first served as Vice President of the Republic of the New Granada after being sworn in by congress in 1832, and under ...

against the revolt of General

José María Obando José María Ramón Obando del Campo (August 8, 1795 – April 29, 1861) was a Neogranadine General and politician who twice served as President of Colombia. As a General, he initially fought for the Royalist Army during the Independence Wars o ...

, due to the administration’s closure of the Catholic convents in the city of

Pasto Pasto, officially San Juan de Pasto (; "Saint John of Pasto"), is the capital of the department of Nariño, in southern Colombia. Pasto was founded in 1537 and named after indigenous people of the area. In the 2018 census, the city had appr ...

. This victory propelled him to the political arena and he was nominated as presidential candidate by Márquez.

Diplomatic career

Herrán also served as

Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary An envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary, usually known as a minister, was a diplomatic head of mission who was ranked below ambassador. A diplomatic mission headed by an envoy was known as a legation rather than an embassy. Under the ...

to the United States, Ecuador, the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome ...

, and

Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...

Political career

As stated above, Herrán was proclaimed as a presidential candidate by President Márquez. He faced two opponents, Eusebio Borrero and Vicente Azuero. However none of the three obtained a majority of the popular vote, and thus the election of a President was left to Congress . In 1841, Congress elected General Alcántara as President and General Domingo Caycedo as Vice-President.

The Presidency

Herrán was elected President by Congress in 1841, for a four years period, but he was not able to be inaugurated as he was still commanding the government troops in the war against the southern revolt. He was supposed to be inaugurated on April 1, 1841, as provided by the Constitution, but in his place the Vice-President Domingo Caycedo was inaugurated.Arismendi Posada, Ignacio; ''Gobernantes Colombianos''; trans. Colombian Presidents; Interprint Editors Ltd.; Italgraf; Segunda Edición; Page 42; Bogotá, Colombia; 1983 Due to the fact that the civil war that started in 1839 had escalated and spread to the Northern provinces, Herrán commissioned General Caycedo to lead the government troops in the northern campaign. Thus, Juan de Dios Aranzazu, President of the “Consejo de Estado” assumed the presidency from July 5, until October 19, 1841, when Caycedo returned to the presidency. Herrán returned triumphant to

on May 19, 1842, and is sworn in as President.

References

External links

* http://www.lablaa.org/blaavirtual/biografias/herrpedr.htm * http://www.presidencia.gov.co/prensa_new/historia/pedroalcantar.htm * http://www.fac.mil.co/index.php?idcategoria=13792&PHPSESSID=67bc89b67fbff609069aee1db {{DEFAULTSORT:Herran Martinez, Pedro 1800 births 1872 deaths Politicians from Bogotá Presidential Designates of Colombia Colombian Conservative Party politicians Colombian people of Basque descent Presidents of Colombia Ambassadors of Colombia to Ecuador Ambassadors of Colombia to the Holy See Ambassadors of Colombia to the United States People of the Peruvian War of Independence People of the Colombian War of Independence Ambassadors of Colombia to Costa Rica Secretaries of War and Navy of Colombia