Antonio Leocadio Guzmán Blanco (28 February 1829 – 28 July 1899) was a

Venezuelan Venezuelans (Spanish language, Spanish: ''venezolanos'') are the Citizenship, citizens identified with the country of Venezuela. This connection may be through citizenship, descent or cultural. For most Venezuelans, many or all of these connect ...

military leader, statesman,

diplomat A diplomat (from ; romanization, romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, nongovernmental institution to conduct diplomacy with one ...

and

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

. He was the

president of Venezuela The president of Venezuela (), officially known as the president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (), is the executive head of state and head of government of Venezuela. The president leads the National Executive of the Venezuelan go ...

for , from 1870 until 1877, from 1879 until 1884, and from 1886 until 1887 and

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

during the Venezuelan Federal War. He was a member of the movement known as ''Liberalismo Amarillo''.

Early life and education

Guzmán was born in Caracas as the son of Antonio Leocadio Guzmán, a Venezuelan journalist, politician as well as founder of the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

and Carlota Blanco Jerez de Aristeguieta.

Career

Military career and ambassador

He was banished by the administration of General Julián Castro, and accompanied General

Juan Crisóstomo Falcón Juan Crisóstomo Falcón Zavarce (27 January 1820 – 29 April 1870) was the president of Venezuela from 1863 to 1868.Battle of Coplé in September, 1860, Guzmán accompanied his chief in his flight, and was sent to the

West Indies The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...

to solicit assistance. Toward the end of 1861 he landed again with Falcón on the coast of Coro, and after numerous engagements signed on 22 May 1863, the Treaty of Coche, by which arms were laid down, and a general assembly called at La Victoria, which elected Falcón president and Guzmán vice president. Guzmán was at the same time Minister of Finance, and went to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

to negotiate a loan. In 1863, he served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Venezuela. On 7 August, 1863, Guillermo Tell Villegas was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs of Venezuela (Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores) when he temporarily assumed the role of Guzman during Guzman's absence. Tell Villegas remained the 65th Minister of Foreign Affairs of Venezuela until 21 January 1864, when Guzman returned to the role to finish out his term. Guzman was the Venezuelan ambassador to Spain from 1863 until 1866.

1868-1877: Return to Venezuela and president

Upon his return he was for a short time in charge of the executive, and afterward was elected president of Congress. After the overthrow of Falcón in 1868, Guzmán left the country, but headed a

revolution In political science, a revolution (, 'a turn around') is a rapid, fundamental transformation of a society's class, state, ethnic or religious structures. According to sociologist Jack Goldstone, all revolutions contain "a common set of elements ...

in 1869, and in 1870 became provisional president with extraordinary powers, ruling the country for seven years as a . In 1871 Blanco created by decree the ''Territorio Colón'' (Columbus Territory) which included Los Roques and other adjacent islands. The

Palacio Federal Legislativo The Palacio Federal Legislativo ( English: Federal Legislative Palace), also known as the Capitolio, is a historic building in Caracas, Venezuela which houses the National Assembly. Located southwest of the Plaza Bolívar, it was built between 1 ...

, also known as the Capitolio, is a historic building in

Caracas Caracas ( , ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas (CCS), is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the northern p ...

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

which now houses the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...

. It was built in 1872 by Guzman to a design by the architect Luciano Urdaneta Vargas."Palacio Federal Legislativo de Venezuela (Capitolio Federal)"
Caracas Ciberturista.com. Retrieved 22 May 2013. In 1876, under Guzmán, the Universidad de Caracas was moved to the

Palacio de las Academias The Palacio de las Academias (Palace of the Academies; previously Convento de San Francisco) is a Gothic Revival architecture, Neo-Gothic building on the Avenida Universidad in the centre of Caracas, Venezuela. It dates back to 1684 when a Franci ...

building, whose former colonial façade was rebuilt in the Neo-Gothic style.Dr. Leopoldo Briceño Iragorry, junior, "El Paraninfo del Palacio de las Academias, Personajes"
''Gaceta Médica de Caracas''. Retrieved 21 May 2013.

1878-1884: Second term as president

His successor, General Francisco Linares Alcántara, died in office in December, 1878, and there were several revolutionary uprisings, till Guzmán assumed the again. The

Venezuelan bolívar The bolívar is the official currency of Venezuela. Named after the hero of South American independence Simón Bolívar, it was introduced by President Antonio Guzmán Blanco, Guzman Blanco via the monetary reform of 1879, before which the Vene ...

was made the national currency in 1879. In 1880, Guzmán Blanco suppressed a military coup attempt by General José Pío Rebolledo. Free and compulsory education for ages 7 to 14 was established by decree on 27 June 1880, under President Guzmán, and was followed by the creation of the Ministry of Public Instruction in 1881, also under Guzmán Blanco. In 15 years from 1870, the number of primary schools quadrupled to nearly 2000 and the enrolment of children expanded ten-fold, to nearly 100,000. Falcón Zulia was a state of Venezuela created by initiative of Guzmán in 1881. He established the Order of the Liberator on 14 September 1880, which was the highest distinction of

and was appointed for services to the country, outstanding merit and benefits made to the community. " Gloria al Bravo Pueblo" (''Glory to the Brave People'') was adopted as Venezuela's

national anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European ...

by Guzmán on 25 May 1881. In the elections of 1883 General Joaquín Crespo, one of his friends, was declared president, and Guzmán became ambassador to

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, living with great ostentation in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

1885-1899: Third and final term

In 1886, he again assumed the . During the rule of Guzmán as governor of a few states (from 1871) in the late 1880s when he was known by the epithet "Illustrious American", Venezuela witnessed all round development (development of Caracas is largely attributed to him) and coffee production in Venezuela increased rapidly as there was an additional support in the form of loans from foreign countries. According to some historians, Guzmán Blanco led a fairly steady Venezuelan government that was allegedly ripe with corruption. Guzmán Blanco reportedly stole money from the treasury, abused his power, and, after a disagreement with a bishop, expelled any clergy who disagreed with him and seized property belonging to the Catholic Church. When facing severe disapproval during his administration, Guzmán Blanco ordered the body of Simon Bolivar to be exhumed and reburied in the National Pantheon of Venezuela to espouse Bolivar's ideals, despite the two men's opposing views. His successor, the undistinguished Hermógenes López, was also understood to be under his influence.

Politics and legacy

The autocratic nature of Guzmán's regimes was in sharp contradiction with the economic and legal reforms as well as with the achievements brought about. His government was responsible for the creation of the modern currency ( bolívar), the restoration of the

, the second national census, the La Guaira and Caracas Railway, the foundation of the Venezuelan Academy of the Language, the telephone service between Caracas and

La Guaira La Guaira () is the capital city of the Venezuelan Vargas (state), state of the same name (formerly named Vargas) and the country's main port, founded in 1577 as an outlet for nearby Caracas. The city hosts its own professional baseball team i ...

, promotion of agriculture and education (Decree of Public and Obligatory Instruction of 1870), stimulus to commerce, and important public works (the National Pantheon, the Capitol, and the Municipal Theater, among others.) According to historian Charles L. Davis, Guzman has been referred to as an example of a strongman politician. Also a

freemason Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

,
digital document by phoenixmasonry: vol. 1
he sharply reduced the power of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

in Venezuela while in office.

Personal life

Guzmán was married to Ana Teresa Ibarra Urbaneja, who served as First Lady of Venezuela from 1870 until 1877, 1879 until 1884, and 1887 until 1888. Due to his marriage he was brother in law with María Ibarra Urbaneja, who married Venezuelan banker Manuel Antonio Matos He is buried in

Passy Cemetery Passy Cemetery () is a small cemetery in Passy, in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, France. History The current cemetery replaced the old cemetery (''l'ancien cimetière communal de Passy'', located on Rue Lekain), which was closed in 1802. ...

. After a hundreds years, his remains now rest at the National Pantheon. Towards the end of the nineteenth century Guzmán built a country house in the region of Antímano, calling it "La Pequeña Versalles" (Little

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...

). Despite being declared a National Monument, the house fell into disuse after Guzman's death and was eventually restored in 2004, the building being turned into a sociocultural complex and sports facility.''Radio Nacional de Venezuela'', 30 July 2004, 11.18pm
Inauguran centro sociocultural y deportivo Casa de Campo Guzmán Blanco
File:Ana Teresa Ibarra.jpg, Ana Teresa Ibarra Urbaneja, Guzman's wife and repeat First Lady of Venezuela File:Guzmán Blanco and daughter.jpg, Guzman with one of his daughters

Gallery

File:Batalla de Apure. Navarro Cañizares.jpg, 1872 depiction of Guzman in battle at the Batalla de Apure File:Antonio Guzman Blanco 1872.jpg, Guzman in 1872 File:AGBlanco.jpg, Antonio Guzmán Blanco by V. Rodríguez, 1908 File:Burial of Guzmán Blanco.jpg, Guzman's funeral in 1899