Juan José Nieto Gil (24 June 1804 – 16 July 1866) was a Colombian politician, Army general and writer. A

Liberal party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

caudillo A ''caudillo'' ( , ; , from Latin language, Latin , diminutive of ''caput'' "head") is a type of Personalist dictatorship, personalist leader wielding military and political power. There is no precise English translation for the term, though it ...

of Cartagena, he served interimly as Governor of the Province of Cartagena, and was later elected President of the

Sovereign State of Bolívar ''Sovereign'' is a title that can be applied to the highest leader in various categories. The word is borrowed from Old French , which is ultimately derived from the Latin">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to ...

from 1859 to 1864. In 1861, during the Colombian Civil War, he fought on the side of the Liberal rebels against the Administration of 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 ...

, and acting in rebellion proclaimed himself

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

of the

Granadine Confederation The Granadine Confederation () was a short-lived federal republic established in 1858 as a result of a constitutional change replacing the Republic of New Granada. It consisted of the present-day nations of Colombia and Panama and parts of north ...

in his right as the

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 ...

, relinquishing power four months later to the Liberal leader, General

Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera y Arboleda Tomás may refer to: * Tomás (given name) * Tomás (surname) Tomás is a Spanish, Portuguese, or Irish surname, equivalent of '' Thomas''. It may refer to: * Antonio Tomás (born 1985), professional Spanish footballer * Belarmino Tomás (18 ...

, who led a successful coup d'état against the

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 ...

Government in Bogotá. Nieto, of

mulatto ( , ) is a Race (human categorization), racial classification that refers to people of mixed Sub-Saharan African, African and Ethnic groups in Europe, European ancestry only. When speaking or writing about a singular woman in English, the ...

background, was the first mixed-race Colombian to rise to politics in the

history of Colombia The history of Colombia includes its settlement by indigenous peoples and the establishment of agrarian societies, notably the Muisca Confederation, Quimbaya Civilization, and Tairona Chiefdoms. The Spanish arrived in 1499 and initiated a p ...

becoming the first mixed-race Colombian to become the executive officeholder of a first level administrative division of Colombia.

Presidency 1861

On 8 May 1860, amid rising tensions between Conservative party politicians in power and the Liberal opposition on the question of

federated state A federated state (also State (polity), state, province, region, Canton (administrative division), canton, Länder, land, governorate, oblast, emirate, or country) is a territorial and constitutional community forming part of a federation ...

's rights and sovereignty, the caudillo and President of Cauca, General

, broke relations with the central government and declared

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 Administration of President

. Nieto followed suit and on 3 July broke relations with the central government, soon Mosquera recruited the help of Nieto to overthrow Ospina from power, and sent Ministers Plenipotentiaries to sign a treaty with Bolívar and Nieto as its president; on 10 September, Nieto signed the ''Treaty of Union and Confederation of the States of Bolívar and Cauca'' (''Tratado de Unión y Confederación de los Estados de Bolívar y Cauca'') creating a provisional government and setting the framework for a new republic called United States of New Granada. The treaty also named Mosquera, Nieto and Obando as the First, Second, and Third

respectively.

Personal life

Born 24 June 1804 in the settlement of Cibarco, between the towns of

Baranoa Baranoa is a municipality and city in the colombian department of Atlántico and widely known for being the birth city of the very first documented black president of Colombia, Juan José Nieto Gil. Its geographical location has historically l ...

and

Tubará Tubará is a municipality and town in the Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is ...

, in the Province of Santa Marta part of the then Viceroyalty of the New Granada. Born to a humble family of scarce resources, his parents were Tomás Nicolás Nieto and Benedicta Gil, a

mason Mason may refer to: Occupations * Mason, brick mason, or bricklayer, a worker who lays bricks to assist in brickwork, or who lays any combination of stones, bricks, cinder blocks, or similar pieces * Stone mason, a craftsman in the stone-cutti ...

and

candlemaker A chandlery ( or ) was originally the office in a wealthy medieval household responsible for wax and candles, as well as the room in which the candles were kept. It could be headed by a chandler. The office was subordinated to the kitchen, and on ...

respectively, who lived in the town of

and moved to

Cartagena de Indias Cartagena ( ), known since the colonial era as Cartagena de Indias (), is a city and one of the major ports on the northern coast of Colombia in the Caribbean Region of Colombia, Caribbean Coast Region, along the Caribbean Sea. Cartagena's past ...

in 1811 following the Declaration of Independence of

Cartagena Province Cartagena Province (), also called ''Gobierno de Cartagena'' (Government of Cartagena) during the Spanish imperial era, was an administrative and territorial division of New Granada in the Viceroyalty of Peru. It was originally organized on Febr ...

as part of the larger struggle of the

South American Wars of Independence The decolonization of the Americas occurred over several centuries as most of the countries in the Americas gained their independence from European rule. The American Revolution was the first in the Americas, and the British defeat in the Amer ...

that started in 1810 and gave birth to the

Republic of Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuela to the east and northeast ...

. On 13 September 1827 he married María Margarita del Carmen Palacio García del Fierro, daughter of José de Palacio y Ponce de León, a

Canarian Canary Islanders, or Canarians (), are the people of the Canary Islands, an autonomous community of Spain near the coast of Northwest Africa. The distinctive variety of the Spanish language spoken in the region is known as ''habla canaria'' (Ca ...

businessman for whom Nieto worked for as a

scrivener A scrivener (or scribe) was a person who, before the advent of compulsory education, could literacy, read and write or who wrote letters as well as court and legal documents. Scriveners were people who made their living by writing or copying w ...

, and of María Francisca García del Fierro y Velacorte, a Neogranadine of reputable family of Cartagena who died during childbirth and related to Rafael Núñez Moledo as his grandaunt. Together they had one son, Ricardo, who died during childhood and shortly after Nieto became a widower as well after the passing of his wife. On 21 April 1834 he remarried to Josefa Teresa Plácida de los Dolores Cavero y Leguina, likewise of reputable and influential family and daughter of

José Ignacio de Cavero y Cárdenas José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced very differently in each of the two languages: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , ...

, a Precursor of the Independence of Colombia of Mexican birth, and María Teresa de Leguina y López Tagle, granddaughter of the Count of Pestagua.

Presidency 1861

Personal life

Selected works

See also

References

Further reading