Carlos Holguín Mallarino
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Carlos María Holguín Mallarino (11 June 1832 – 19 October 1894) was a Colombian lawyer, journalist, and politician, who became Acting President of Colombia between 1888 and 1892, acting in the absence of President Rafael Núñez.Gobernantes Colombianos, Ignacio Arismendi Posada, Interprint Editors Ltd., Italgraf, Segunda Edición, Bogotá, Colombia, 1983


Biographic data

Carlos Holguín Mallarino was born on 11 July 1832, in the town of Nóvita, Chocó when the region was still part of the department (state) of Cauca. He died in
Bogotá Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish Imperial period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city, capital and largest city ...
on 19 October 1894 while he was serving in Congress as senator. Carlos Holguín Mallarino was part of the prominent Holguín, Mallarino and Caro Families. Both his uncle Manuel María Mallarino and his brother, Jorge Holguín, were Presidents of Colombia, as was his
brother-in-law A sibling-in-law is the spouse of one's sibling or the sibling of one’s spouse. More commonly, a sibling-in-law is referred to as a brother-in-law for a male sibling-in-law and a sister-in-law for a female sibling-in-law. Sibling-in-law al ...
Miguel Antonio Caro Miguel Antonio Caro Tobar (November 10, 1843 – 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 ...
, who succeeded him in office.


Early life

Holguín completed his first years of education in the city of
Cali Santiago de Cali (), or Cali, is the capital of the Valle del Cauca department, and the most populous city in southwest Colombia, with 2,280,522 residents estimate by National Administrative Department of Statistics, DANE in 2023. The city span ...
,
Valle Valle may refer to: * Valle (surname) Geography *"Valle", the cultural and climatic zone of the dry subtropical Interandean Valles of the Andes of Peru, Bolivia, and northwest Argentina * University of Valle, a public university in Cali, Colomb ...
. He then traveled to Bogotá, where he studied jurisprudence and obtained a degree in law at the Colegio Mayor de San Bartolomé before his 20th birthday. His adoptive grandfather, an Englishman called Paterson Saunders, had taught him Latin, Greek, English, French and Italian. Holguín later became a great orator, debater, and writer. He was also a renowned journalist and professor of literature and history.


Military career

Holguín enlisted in the army and participated in several military actions like the uprising against President
José María Melo José María Dionisio Melo y Ortiz (October 9, 1800 – June 1, 1860) was a Colombian general and political figure who fought in the South American wars of independence, and who rose to power and briefly held the presidency of Colombia in 185 ...
, the war against
Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera Tomás Cipriano Ignacio Maria de Mosquera y Figueroa Arboleda Salazar, Prieto de Tovar, Vergara, Silva, Hurtado de Mendoza, Urrutia y Guzmán (September 26, 1798 – October 7, 1878) was a Colombian general, political figure, and slaveholder ...
, and the conservative revolt against
Aquileo Parra José Bonifacio Aquileo Elias Parra y Gómez de la Vega (May 12, 1825 - December 4, 1900) was a Colombian soldier, businessman and political figure. He was the President of Colombia between 1876 and 1878.Arismendi Posada, Ignacio; ''Gobernantes ...
in 1875.


Political career

After Holguín graduated, he entered the civil service and held a few bureaucratic jobs with the central government. At 23, he was elected as state senator representing the district of buenaventura and thereafter as President of the Cauca State Senate. Later he was elected several times to National Congress, representing the States of
Antioquia Antioquia is the Spanish form of Antioch. Antioquia may also refer to: * Antioquia Department Antioquia () is one of the 32 departments of Colombia, located in the central northwestern part of Colombia with a narrow section that borders th ...
, Cundinamarca, Tolima and Bolívar. Holguín was appointed also to several ministerial positions such as Minister of Foreign Relations, Interior and War. In 1881, while in
Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
, Holguín was commissioned by President Rafael Núñez to establish diplomatic relations with the
Kingdom of Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
. By that time, Colombia was the only Latin American nation that did not have diplomatic relations with Spain. Thus, Holguín was appointed as Special Envoy and plenipotentiary Ambassador of Colombia to the Kingdom of Spain. As head of the diplomatic mission, he arrives in
Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
on 9 January 1881, where he was greeted by the King of Spain,
Alfonso XII Alfonso XII (Alfonso Francisco de Asís Fernando Pío Juan María de la Concepción Gregorio Pelayo de Borbón y Borbón; 28 November 185725 November 1885), also known as ''El Pacificador'' (Spanish: the Peacemaker), was King of Spain from 29 D ...
. For the first time, full diplomatic relations were established between the two nations. Upon his return to Colombia, in November 1887, Holguín was appointed Minister of Foreign Relations by President
Eliseo Payán José Eliseo Payán Hurtado (August 1, 1825 – June 30, 1895) was a Colombian lawyer, politician, and military officer. Payán as Vice President of Colombia assumed the Presidency of Colombia because of the absence of President Rafael N ...
. Later, President Rafael Núñez appointed him Minister of War.


Presidency

Carlos Holguín became President of Colombia upon his election by Congress as
Presidential Designate The Presidential Designate () was a Colombian elected official, chosen by the Senate to ensure the presidential line of succession. The title of Presidential Designate did not bring any official office or duties, its sole purpose was to replace ...
, the first time in 1888 and the second time in 1890. Thus, he ruled as president between 1888 and 1892, to complete the six years presidential term of President Rafael Núñez. During his presidency, Holguín devoted time, energy and resources to the betterment of the nation’s infrastructure, such as the improvement, restoration and development of main highways, railways, shipyards, sea ports, the waterways of the Atrato, Cauca, Magdalena and Nechí rivers, and the electric and telephone grids. He also created and established the ''“Policia Nacional”'' (national police). During the conflict between the Italian entrepreneur Ernesto Cerruti and Colombian President Rafael Nuñez Italy mobilized a small naval squadron in 1888 fears were rampant that an Italian armed intervention was imminent on Colombian coasts. Finally, faced with the threat of military intervention and international pressure, the Colombian government opted to submit to international arbitration. In 1891, Pope Leo XIII, who was respected in both countries due to widespread Catholicism, intervened as mediator in the conflict. Under Papal arbitration, an agreement was reached in which Colombia was to pay compensation to Cerruti, although in an amount lower than that originally demanded by Italy. Holguín was very much disliked and heavily criticized by the opposition party, the liberals, and Congress made it very difficult for him to govern. In his last address to Congress, before he handed over the presidency to
Miguel Antonio Caro Miguel Antonio Caro Tobar (November 10, 1843 – 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 ...
, he said, "In the four years that I have governed, not a single shot has been fired, not a single drop of blood has been spilled and not a single tear has been shed. I leave the country in peace and I did not incur in further debt."


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Holguin Mallarino, Carlos 1832 births 1894 deaths People from Chocó Department Carlos Mallarino family 19th-century Colombian lawyers Colombian journalists Colombian male journalists Colombian Conservative Party politicians Acting presidents of Colombia Presidential Designates of Colombia Ambassadors of Colombia to Spain Magistrates of the Supreme Court of Justice of Colombia 19th-century journalists 19th-century Colombian male writers Colombian people of Spanish descent