José Desiderio Valverde Pérez (1822December 22, 1903) was a Dominican military figure and politician. He served as the 7th

president of the Dominican Republic The president of the Dominican Republic () is both the head of state and head of government of the Dominican Republic. The presidential system was established in 1844, following the proclamation of the republic during the Dominican War of In ...

from June 13, 1858 until August 31, 1858.

Early years

He was born in Santiago de los Caballeros in 1822. Son of José María Valverde Fernández, descendant of the Counts of Oropesa belonging to the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

nobility, and Ana María Teresa Pérez, a family dedicated to medium commerce.

Political and military career

He entered the military career in 1844, as a prominent leader of the

Dominican War of Independence The Dominican War of Independence () was a war of independence that began when the Dominican Republic declared independence from the Republic of Haiti on February 27, 1844 and ended on January 24, 1856. Before the war, the island of Hispaniola ...

movement against Haitian domination that had begun in 1822. He led the Battle of Santiago, in which the Haitian troops were defeated in their attempt to penetrate through the valley of

Cibao The Cibao, usually referred as El Cibao, is a region of the Dominican Republic located in the northern part of the country. As of 2009, the Cibao region has a population of 5,622,378, making it the most populous region in the country. The region ...

to occupy the country. Valverde, alongside Matías Ramón Mella, participanted in the task of organizing the defense of the Cibao region, after the independence movement, organizing the troops of

San José de las Matas San José de las Matas, also known as Sajoma, is an important Municipalities of the Dominican Republic, municipality (''municipio'') of the Santiago Province (Dominican Republic), Santiago province in the Dominican Republic. The mayor of Sajoma is ...

. When the militia was organized he was assigned the rank of Captain. In 1845 he was Tribunate representing the city of Santiago de los Caballeros. In the Battle of Sabana Larga in 1856, he distinguished himself and thanks to his military skills, victory was achieved. He was promoted to General. He was Provincial Governor of Santiago. He married Ana Rosa Mallol, in the city of Santiago, on February 26, 1848. This marriage produced seven children: Ana Rita, José Cipriano, José Emilio, Manuel Desiderio, Julia Ercilla, José Desiderio and José Desiderio Rafael Valverde Mallol. In 1850, he was among many politicians to sign the treaty with Great Britain, which meant the recognition of Dominican independence by an international power. He led the bourgeois revolt in Santiago against the merchants, a movement that essentially also disputed the economic measures decreed by the country's president,

Buenaventura Báez Ramón Buenaventura Báez Méndez (July 14, 1812March 14, 1884), was a Dominican conservative politician and military figure. He was president of the Dominican Republic for five nonconsecutive terms. His rule was characterized by corruption and ...

. He directed the provisional government established in Santiago on July 7, 1857 and, once Báez was overthrown from the presidency of the State, Valverde was elected president by the Constituent Assembly of Moca, held on March 1, 1858, although he resigned from office on the day August 28 of that same year. He was exiled to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. The liberal constitution of Moca was annulled and General Santana returned to govern with the Constitution of 1854, which guaranteed him an authoritarian government. His government's priorities consisted of improving the monetary system and reorganizing the public administration and the army. The highlight of his brief tenure was the move of the country's capital to Santiago.

Last years and death

As a supporter of the annexation to Spain, which occurred in 1861, General Valverde returned to his country, collaborating with the Spanish officials. Several years later, the

Dominican Restoration War The Dominican Restoration War or the Dominican War of Restoration (), called War of Santo Domingo in Spain (''Guerra de Santo Domingo''),Losada, J. C. (2012). ''Batallas decisivas de la historia de España.'' Ed. Aguilar, pgs. 371-386. was a G ...

had ravanged on the island. He accompanied the Spanish in their retreat to Puerto Plata. He settled down to live with his family in Santo Domingo. He was appointed by the Spanish government as Field Marshal of the annexationist army. He held the position of Director of Administration of the annexationist government. With the support given to the Spanish army, his figure fell into total discredit that was never lifted. After Spain's defeat, Valverde left the island. In exile, he began a journey through several Ibero-American and European countries until Valverde settled perminantly in Spain, acquired numerous properties in

Tierra de Campos Tierra de Campos ("Land of Fields") is a large historical and natural region or greater comarca that straddles the provinces of León, Zamora, Valladolid and Palencia, in Castile and León, Spain. It is a vast, desolate plain with practically ...

Province of Valladolid Valladolid () is a province of northwest Spain, in the central part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It has a population of 525,398 across a total of 225 municipalities, an area of , meaning a population density of 64.77 people ...

, where a relative of his was death Deputy in Cortes for the constituency of

Villalón de Campos Villalón or Villalon may refer to: * Alberto Villalón (1882–1955), one of the greatest musicians in the Cuban trova style * Consuelo Villalon Aleman (1907–1998), a well-known Mexican pianist during the 20th century * Eric Villalon (bo ...

. Although, Valverde never intervened directly in Spanish politics. During Báez's six-year government he was exiled. He then returned back to the country. He joined the Blue Party in 1879, led by General

Gregorio Luperón Gregorio Luperón (September 8, 1839 – May 21, 1897) was a Dominican revolutionary, military general, businessman, liberal politician, Freemasonry, freemason, and statesman who was one of the leaders in the Dominican Restoration War. Luperón w ...

. His figure did not rise in said party, due to his support for the annexationist government of 1861. He retired from political activities and dedicated himself to his family in the city of Santiago, where he died on December 23, 1903. He was buried in the "March 30 Cemetery," in the so-called ''Untouchable Pantheons''.

Honors

In his honor, on March 27, 1958, a new province was created in the Dominican Republic, when the old province of Santiago was divided, giving it the name of Valverde Province, with capital in Santa Cruz de Mao (or simply Mao).

Sources

*Biography of José Desiderio Valverde . Available at: http://www.biografiasyvidas.com/biografia/v/valverde_jose_desiderio.htm . Retrieved January 28, 2016 . *Gerón, Cándido. ( 2001 ). Dominican political dictionary (1821–2000) , Santo Domingo, Editora de Colores. *García, José Gabriel. (1968). Compendium of the history of Santo Domingo , Volume 3, Santo Domingo, Ahora. *Martínez, Rufino. (1971). Dominican Biographical-Historical Dictionary, 1821-1930 , Santo Domingo, Autonomous University of Santo Domingo. *Valverde, José Desiderio (ca. 1825-1903) . Available at: http://www.mcnbiografias.com/app-bio/do/show?key=valverde-jose-desiderio . Accessed January 28, 2016.

References