José Eliseo Payán Hurtado (August 1, 1825 – June 30, 1895) was a Colombian

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

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 ...

, and

military officer An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer (NCO), or a warrant officer. However, absent c ...

. Payán as

Vice President of Colombia The vice president of Colombia (Vice president of the Republic) is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the Government of Colombia, national government, after the president of Colombia, and ranks first in the Colombian presiden ...

assumed the Presidency of Colombia because of the absence of President Rafael Núñez in 1887.Arismendi Posada, Ignacio; ''Gobernantes Colombianos'', trans. Colombian Presidents; Interprint Editors Ltd., Italgraf, Segunda Edición; Page 127; Bogotá, Colombia; 1983

Early life

Payán was born in

Santiago de 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 ...

on August 1, 1825. Payán studied in the Colegio Santa Librada, in Cali, and later graduated as a

, profession he practiced mostly in the city of

Buga Buga may refer to: * Buga (surname) Places * Mount Buga, an inactive volcano in Zamboanga del Sur province, the Philippines * Buga (barangay), a barangay in San Miguel Municipality, Bulacan, Philippines * Buga, Valle del Cauca, city and municipa ...

along with commerce and other administrative jobs. He also founded the Democratic Society of Buga and produced a newspaper, ''El Sentimiento Democrático'', with the help of Manuel Antonio Scarpetta and Ramón Mercado.

Military career

Payán joined the army, and most of the time was under the orders of liberal commanders. In 1840, Payán participated in the War of the Supremes under the command 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 ...

, fighting against the army of President José Ignacio de Márquez. Later, in 1854, he joined the army of

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; ...

in the battles against José María Melo. Payán became a general in the army and participated in the Colombian Civil War of 1860–1862 supporting General

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 ...

against the legitimate and constitutional government of

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

President

Mariano Ospina Rodríguez Mariano Ospina Rodríguez (October 18, 1805 - January 11, 1885) was a Colombian people, Colombian politician, journalist and lawyer, founder of the Colombian Conservative Party and later President of Colombia between 1857 and 1861Arismendi Pos ...

. General Payán intervened in the Colombian Civil War of 1876 to defend the government of Aquileo Parra. At the battle of Los Chancos, he was taken prisoner by the conservative forces. General Julián Trujillo, commander of the Caucan Army, appointed him brigadier of a revolutionary division. He was able to confront and defeat the conservative forces in

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 ...

at the Battle of Batero. In 1879, he organized an army to topple the president of the State of Cauca. Governor Garcés was deposed, and Payan gave control to a civilian,

Ezequiel Hurtado Ezequiel Hurtado Hurtado was a politician, military general and statesman who became President of Colombia. He was born in Silvia, in the department of Cauca, December 14, 1825, and died in Popayán, September 4, 1890. His parents were Nicolas ...

, who was then elected as President of the State of Cauca. In 1885, Payán joins the forces of conservative President Rafael Núñez in the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

against the liberal rebels. After the war, Núñez appoints him as Minister of War.

Political career

After the war, Payán began his political career in the Provincial Chamber of Cauca, where he became known for his oratory skills. Between 1854 and 1855, Payán served in the

Congress of Colombia The Congress of the Republic of Colombia () is the name given to Colombia's bicameral national legislature. The Congress of Colombia consists of the 108-seat Senate, and the 188-seat Chamber of Representatives, Members of both houses are e ...

as the representative for Cauca.

President of Colombia

After being re-elected President of Cauca, Payán, who had also being elected

, had to resign his post in Cauca to replace the ailing sitting president Núñez. He assumed office on January 6, 1887, and served as president until June 4. He once again was called to replace President Núñez on December 13, 1882, to February 8, 1888, while the President recovered. During his control of the presidency, Payán decreed the absolute

freedom of press Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the fundamental principle that communication and expression through various media, including printed and electronic media, especially published materials, should be considered a right to be exerc ...

in the nation, a policy that created great controversy, which forced him to resign as vice president after the constant struggles with his opponents in Congress and the President himself.

Death

He died in Buga on June 30, 1895.

References

External links

Biblioteca Luis Angel Arango; Eliseo Payán

Colombia.com Eliseo Payan

Fuerza Aérea Colombiana; Eliseo Payán
{{DEFAULTSORT:Payan, Eliseo 1825 births 1895 deaths People from Cali Colombian people of Spanish descent Colombian Liberal Party politicians Acting presidents of Colombia Vice presidents of Colombia Presidential Designates of Colombia Members of the Chamber of Representatives of Colombia Colombian generals 19th-century Colombian lawyers Colombian journalists Colombian male journalists 19th-century journalists 19th-century Colombian male writers People from the Republic of New Granada