Joaquín Sinforiano de Jesús Crespo Torres (; 22 August 1841 – 16 April 1898) was a Venezuelan military officer and politician. A member of the

Great Liberal Party of Venezuela The Liberal Party (, PL), better known as Great Liberal Party of Venezuela (, GPLV), was a political party in Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consis ...

, he served as 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 ...

from 1884 to 1886 and again from 1892 to 1898. He began his career as a soldier during the

Federal War The Federal War () — also known as the Great War or the 5 Year War — was a civil war in Venezuela between the Conservative Party and the Liberal Party over the monopoly the Conservatives held over government positions and land ownership, an ...

Presidency

Joaquín Crespo became in 1884. In 1886 Guzmán Blanco returned as . Crespo went into exile during the of

Juan Pablo Rojas Paúl Juan Pablo Rojas Paúl (26 November 1826 – 22 July 1905) was the president of Venezuela from 1888 to 1890. He was the first civilian president who was elected by constitutional procedures in 50 years, and the only one who could finish his ...

which marked a break from Guzmán Blanco's policies. During the , which began in 1892, a new constitution increased the presidential term. The

Venezuelan crisis of 1895 The Venezuelan crisis of 1895 occurred over Venezuela's longstanding dispute with Great Britain about the territory of Essequibo, which Britain believed was part of British Guiana and Venezuela recognized as its own Guayana Esequiba. The issue ...

saw

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 ...

's longstanding territorial dispute with Great Britain come to a head, with the United States providing diplomatic support to Venezuela. Britain claimed the territory as part of

British Guiana British Guiana was a British colony, part of the mainland British West Indies. It was located on the northern coast of South America. Since 1966 it has been known as the independent nation of Guyana. The first known Europeans to encounter Guia ...

while Venezuela saw it as Venezuelan. The disputed border was submitted to international arbitration. The arbitral panel awarded most of the territory to Britain in 1899 after Crespo's death.

Subsequent career

In 1897, Crespo did not campaign for a third presidential term but supported

Ignacio Andrade Ignacio Andrade Troconis (31 July 1839 – 17 February 1925), was a military man and politician. ...

against key opponent Jose Manuel Hernandez. Andrade won the election and inaugurated his on 28 February, 1898 . Hernandez decried the results as fraudulent and took up arms. Hernandez was quickly defeated, with resultant political turmoil.

Death

Crespo, who remained a military mainstay of the government, was killed in battle on 16 April 1898 in the Combat of Mata Carmelera while defending the . He was buried in the Southern General Cemetery. During the

crisis in Venezuela An ongoing socioeconomic and political crisis began in Venezuela during the presidency of Hugo Chávez and has worsened during the presidency of successor Nicolás Maduro. It has been marked by hyperinflation, escalating starvation, disease, c ...

, in 2018, the tomb of Crespo and his wife Jacinta was looted and vandalized, leaving their bodies exposed to the elements.

Personal life

Crespo was married to Jacinta Parejo, who served as

First Lady of Venezuela First Lady of Venezuela (Spanish: ''Primera Dama de Venezuela'') is the unofficial title traditionally held by the wife of the president of Venezuela. List of first ladies Non-spouse first ladies See also * First Lady * Venezuela * List o ...

from 1884 to 1886, and 1892–1898. File:Misia Jacinta.jpg, Jacinta Parejo

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Crespo, Joaquin People from Aragua Presidents of Venezuela Venezuelan soldiers 1841 births 1898 deaths Great Liberal Party of Venezuela politicians Venezuelan people of Spanish descent