José Hilario López Valdés (18 February 1798, Popayán, Cauca – 27 November 1869, Campoalegre, Huila) was a Colombian

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. He was the

President of Colombia The president of Colombia (President of the Republic) is the head of state and head of government of Colombia. The president heads the executive branch of the Government of Colombia, national government and is the commander-in-chief of the Mil ...

between 1849 and 1853.Arismendi Posada, Ignacio; ''Gobernantes Colombianos''; trans. Colombian Presidents; Inter print Editors Ltd.; Italgraf; Segunda Edición; pg. 51; Bogotá, Colombia; 1983

Biographic data

The son of José Casimiro López and Rafaela Valdés y Fernández, José, completed his primary education in the seminary of Popayán under the supervision of scholar, José Félix de Restrepo. At age 14, he ended his education to join the revolutionary army.

Military career

López joined the revolutionary army as a

cadet A cadet is a student or trainee within various organisations, primarily in military contexts where individuals undergo training to become commissioned officers. However, several civilian organisations, including civil aviation groups, maritime ...

, at the age of 14. He participated in military combat in the Battle of Alto Palacé (30 December 1813), the battle of Calibío (January 1814), battle of Tacines (9 May 1814) and the battle of

Pasto Pasto, officially San Juan de Pasto (; "Saint John of Pasto"), is the capital of the department of Nariño, in southern Colombia. Pasto was founded in 1537 and named after indigenous people of the area. In the 2018 census, the municipality ...

(10 May 1813). During the Battle of La Cuchilla del Tambo, López was taken prisoner by the

Spanish Army The Spanish Army () is the terrestrial army of the Spanish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is one of the oldest Standing army, active armies – dating back to the late 15th century. The Spanish Army has existed ...

. López was sent to

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 ...

, where he was tried by court martial and was found guilty of treason against the Crown and sentenced to death. His death sentence was commuted in exchange for his service to the royal army. As a prisoner of war, he was assigned to the cobblestone duty of the ''Plaza Mayor de Bogotá'' and in the shooting squadron to execute insurgent leaders. On 28 June 1819, López was promised his freedom after his aunt Eusebia Caicedo intervened on his behalf. But it was not until 24 July 1819 that he was pardoned and freed.

Wars of Independence from Spain

In 1820, López met General

Simón Bolívar Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios (24July 178317December 1830) was a Venezuelan statesman and military officer who led what are currently the countries of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Panama, and Bol ...

, who appointed him lieutenant of the then newly created ''"Boyacá Battalion"''. While in the town of La Mesa, López saw his former prison mate, Vicente Azuero, among the prisoners of war and interceded for his release. López was promoted to the rank of lieutenant mayor and subsequently, captain. In that capacity, López participated in the ''"Northern Campaign"'' offensive in what is now

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 ...

n territory. Once the campaign ended in February 1823, López returned to Bogotá and was appointed by General

Francisco de Paula Santander Francisco José de Paula Santander y Omaña (April 2, 1792 – May 6, 1840) was a Neogranadine military and political leader who served as Vice-President of Gran Colombia between 1819 and 1826, and was later elected by Congress as the President ...

as military chief of the province of Cauca. On 6 April 1823, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel.

Military career

After the ''Conspiración Septembrína'' ( Septembrine Conspiracy) of 1828, and while being military chief of the Azuay province, López rebelled against General

and joined the army of Colonel José María Obando. Shortly after, the Gran Colombia-Peru War broke out, and Bolívar headed south to confront the

Peruvians Peruvians (''/peruanas'') are the citizens of Peru. What is now Peru has been inhabited for several millennia by cultures such as the Caral before the Spanish conquest in the 16th century. Peruvian population decreased from an estimated 5–9 ...

and join forces with

Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army (in countries without the rank of Generalissimo), and as such, few persons a ...

Antonio José de Sucre Antonio José de Sucre y Alcalá (; 3 February 1795 – 4 June 1830), known as the "Gran Mariscal de Ayacucho" (), was a Venezuelan general and politician who served as the president of Bolivia from 1825 to 1828. A close friend and associate ...

, who was in wait for him. By the end of January 1829, Bolívar came to an agreement with the rebel commanders and pardoned them after the Pact of Juanambú was signed on 2 March 1829. Bolívar also explained his decision to ignore the

Constitution of Cúcuta The Constitution of Cúcuta, also known as Constitution of the Gran Colombia and Constitution of 1821, was the founding document and constitution of the Republic of Colombia (historiographically called Gran Colombia), unifying the territorie ...

, after General

José Antonio Páez José Antonio Páez Herrera (; 13 June 1790 – 6 May 1873) was a Venezuelan politician and military officer who served as the president of Venezuela three times. The first as the 5th president from 1830 to 1835, the second as the 8th president ...

’ actions in

Political career

Under the military government of

Rafael Urdaneta Rafael José Urdaneta y Farías (October 24, 1788 – August 23, 1845) was a Venezuelan General and hero of the Spanish American wars of independence. After overthrowing President Joaquín Mosquera in a 1830 military coup, he served as Pre ...

in September 1830, López and Obando rebelled once again and started a campaign to destabilize the government. Their forces took over most of the south and took control of the town of Popayán. López advanced to Tocaima, where he confronted General

, but both reached a ceasefire that followed the " Apulo Agreement", signed on 28 April 1831. The following year, during the government of

, López was appointed military chief of Bogotá, and two years later, in 1834 was appointed governor of Cartagena. After these posts, López also assumed other offices such as the Secretary of War and Navy, Ambassador of Colombia to the

Papal States The Papal States ( ; ; ), officially the State of the Church, were a conglomeration of territories on the Italian peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope from 756 to 1870. They were among the major states of Italy from the 8th c ...

, Secretary of Foreign Relations, state advisor and senator.

President of Colombia

On 7 March 1849, López was elected

with the support of the

artisan An artisan (from , ) is a skilled craft worker who makes or creates material objects partly or entirely by hand. These objects may be functional or strictly decorative, for example furniture, decorative art, sculpture, clothing, food ite ...

s and their democratic society clubs, having also taken advantage of the divisions among the conservatives. His government abolished slavery, created the

agrarian law Agrarian laws (from the Latin ''ager'', meaning "land") were Roman law, laws among the Ancient Rome, Romans regulating the division of the public real property, lands, or ''ager publicus''. In its broader definition, it can also refer to the agric ...

, supported the separation between church and state, freedom of the press and the federalization of the state. Resistance against abolition provoked a conservative uprising in the Cauca region, led by Julio Arboleda. The revolt was soon crushed by Lopez' government forces. In

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 ...

, confrontations between landowners and the commoners became harshly violent. The defeat suffered by the landowners sparked an uprising of former slaves and peasants, who sabotaged and vandalized farms, to the point of taking physical vengeance over their former masters by whipping them with the same whips used on them. The government bonds issued to compensate the former slave owners may have contributed to inflation. López administration also authorized the dissolution of the Resguardos for

Amerindian In the Americas, Indigenous peoples comprise the two continents' pre-Columbian inhabitants, as well as the ethnic groups that identify with them in the 15th century, as well as the ethnic groups that identify with the pre-Columbian population of ...

s and prohibited any businesses regarding this practice, going against the will of their main supporters, the Democratic Societies, and allowing the elites to benefit from the newly liberated laborers who searched for work in their

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

plantations.

Civil wars

A year after finishing his term as President of Colombia, in 1854, López joined the conservative and liberal armies against the Artisans Revolution and deposed General José Maria Melo from the presidency.Arismendi Posada, Ignacio; ''Gobernantes Colombianos'' ("Colombian Presidents"); Inter-print Editors Ltd.; Italgraf; Segunda Edición; pg. 64; Bogotá, Colombia; 1983 During 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 ...

of 1859, López enrolled in the army of the “radical liberals”, who defended the Federation and autonomy of the states. López was elected as President of Tolima and assumed office in the city of

Neiva Neiva () is the capital and most populated city of the Department of Huila, south central Colombia. It is located in the valley of the Magdalena River with a municipal population of 388,299. It is one of the most important cities in southern Co ...

in July 1863. In 1865 he was postulated as candidate to lead the Colombian Union, but was defeated by President Tomas Cipriano de Mosquera. In 1867, President Mosquera closed down the National Congress and, because of this, was deposed in reprisal. López was then named Army Chief by the new interim government of Santos Acosta. After these, he retired from politics and returned to his farms until the day of his death.

References

External links

Presidencia de Colombia; José Hilario López
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lopez, Jose Hilario 1798 births 1869 deaths People from Popayán People of Andalusian descent People of Asturian descent Colombian people of Spanish descent Colombian Liberal Party politicians Presidents of Colombia Presidential Designates of Colombia Colombian generals People of the Colombian War of Independence Ambassadors of Colombia to the Holy See Colombian abolitionists 19th-century Colombian people López family Members of the Convention of Ocaña People from Gran Colombia People from the Republic of New Granada