Pedro Alcántara Herrán Martínez de Zaldúa (October 19, 1800 in

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 ...

, Viceroyalty of the New GranadaArismendi Posada, Ignacio; ''Gobernantes Colombianos''; trans. Colombian Presidents; Interprint Editors Ltd., Italgraf, Segunda Edición; Page 41; Bogotá, Colombia; 1983 - April 26, 1872 in

Arismendi Posada, Ignacio; ''Gobernantes Colombianos''; trans. Colombian Presidents; Interprint Editors Ltd., Italgraf, Segunda Edición; Page 43; Bogotá, Colombia; 1983) was a Colombian general and statesman who served as

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 Republic of the New Granada between 1841 and 1845.Arismendi Posada, Ignacio; ''Gobernantes Colombianos''; trans. Colombian Presidents; Interprint Editors Ltd.; Italgraf; Segunda Edición; Page 261; Bogotá, Colombia; 1983 As a general he served in the wars of independence of the New Granada and of

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Biographic data

Herrán was born and died in

. He was also the son-in-law of Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera.

Early life

Herrán initiated his education in the

Colegio Mayor de San Bartolomé is a Private school, private Catholic school, Catholic pre-school, primary, secondary school, and college-preparatory school, colonial of Plateresque style building, located in the Bogota, Santa Fe district of Bogotá, Cundinamarca Department, Cu ...

in Bogotá, but he dropped out of school at the age of 14 to join the revolutionary army in 1814.

Military career

He enlisted in the revolutionary army of 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 ...

as a teenager. He fought in several battles, and in the Battle of Cuchilla del Tambo he was captured by the Spanish forces. He was court-martialed and sentenced to death by the military court. His death sentence was commuted in exchange for serving in the Spanish Army, which he did for five years. Later, he escaped and rejoined the revolutionary army of General

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 ...

with the rank of captain. He joined the armies of the southern campaigns in Nueva Granada and Perú. He fought at the battles of Bomboná (April 7, 1822), Junín (August 6, 1824), and

Ayacucho Ayacucho (, , derived from the words ''aya'' ("death" or "soul") and ''k'uchu'' ("corner") in honour of the battle of Ayacucho), founded in 1540 as San Juan de la Frontera de Huamanga and known simply as Huamanga (Quechua: Wamanga) until 1825, i ...

(December 9, 1824). Bolívar promoted him to the rank of General in 1828. Later, he was commissioned as Military Chief of the province of

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

. In 1839, Herrán defended the government of José Ignacio de Márquez against the revolt 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 ...

, due to the administration’s closure of the Catholic convents in the city 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 ...

. This victory propelled him to the political arena and he was nominated as presidential candidate by Márquez.

Diplomatic career

Herrán also served as

Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary An envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary, usually known as a minister, was a diplomatic head of mission who was ranked below ambassador. A diplomatic mission headed by an envoy was known as a legation rather than an embassy. Under the ...

to the United States, Ecuador, the

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, and

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

Political career

As stated above, Herrán was proclaimed as a presidential candidate by President Márquez. He faced two opponents, Eusebio Borrero and Vicente Azuero. However, none of the three obtained a majority of the popular vote, and thus the election of a President was left to Congress . In 1841, Congress elected General Alcántara as President and General Domingo Caycedo as Vice-President.

The Presidency

Herrán was elected President by Congress in 1841, for a four years period, but he was not able to be inaugurated as he was still commanding the government troops in the war against the southern revolt. He was supposed to be inaugurated on April 1, 1841, as provided by the Constitution, but in his place the Vice-President Domingo Caycedo was inaugurated.Arismendi Posada, Ignacio; ''Gobernantes Colombianos''; trans. Colombian Presidents; Interprint Editors Ltd.; Italgraf; Segunda Edición; Page 42; Bogotá, Colombia; 1983 Due to the fact that the civil war that started in 1839 had escalated and spread to the Northern provinces, Herrán commissioned General Caycedo to lead the government troops in the northern campaign. Thus, Juan de Dios Aranzazu, President of the “Consejo de Estado” assumed the presidency from July 5, until October 19, 1841, when Caycedo returned to the presidency. Herrán returned triumphant to

on May 19, 1842, and is sworn in as President.

References

External links

* http://www.lablaa.org/blaavirtual/biografias/herrpedr.htm * http://www.presidencia.gov.co/prensa_new/historia/pedroalcantar.htm * http://www.fac.mil.co/index.php?idcategoria=13792&PHPSESSID=67bc89b67fbff609069aee1db {{DEFAULTSORT:Herran Martinez, Pedro 1800 births 1872 deaths Politicians from Bogotá Presidential Designates of Colombia Colombian Conservative Party politicians Colombian people of Basque descent Presidents of Colombia Ambassadors of Colombia to Ecuador Ambassadors of Colombia to the Holy See Ambassadors of Colombia to the United States People of the Peruvian War of Independence People of the Colombian War of Independence Ambassadors of Colombia to Costa Rica Secretaries of War and Navy of Colombia People from Gran Colombia People from the Republic of New Granada