Tomás Cipriano Ignacio Maria de Mosquera y Figueroa Arboleda Salazar, Prieto de Tovar, Vergara, Silva, Hurtado de Mendoza, Urrutia y Guzmán (September 26, 1798 – October 7, 1878) was a Colombian general,
political figure, and
slaveholder. He was president of Colombia four times. The first time was as president of
Republic of New Granada
The Republic of New Granada was a Centralism, centralist unitary republic consisting primarily of present-day Colombia and Panama with smaller portions of today's Costa Rica, Ecuador, Venezuela, Peru and Brazil that existed from 1831 to 1858. ...
from 1845 to 1849. During the
Colombian Civil War of 1860–1862 he led liberal forces in a civil war against conservative factions. After the liberals won, a new, federalist constitution was implemented, which established a two-year presidency, and the nation renamed the
United States of Colombia. Mosquera served twice as president of the new government. From 1861 to 1862 he served in a non-elected, interim manner, while the constitution was written. From 1862 to 1864 he served in an elected manner. He had a fourth term from 1866 to 1867. Due to the liberal reforms carried out under his leadership, he is considered one of the most important persons in Colombian history of the 19th century.
Due to large facial wounds received during a battle in 1824, he required the use of a metal
prosthesis
In medicine, a prosthesis (: prostheses; from ), or a prosthetic implant, is an artificial device that replaces a missing body part, which may be lost through physical trauma, disease, or a condition present at birth (Congenital, congenital disord ...
in his jaw. This affected his ability to speak, which was marked by blowing and whistling sounds. As a result, Mosquera was derisively nicknamed "Mascachochas" (Gaga-chew) by some of his contemporary critics.
Personal life
Family
Mosquera was born in
Popayán, on September 26, 1798. His parents were wealthy farm-owner José María de Mosquera-Figueroa y Arboleda and María Manuela de Arboleda y Arrachea, both from prestigious families. His brother
Joaquín was President of
Gran Colombia
Gran Colombia (, "Great Colombia"), also known as Greater Colombia and officially the Republic of Colombia (Spanish language, Spanish: ''República de Colombia''), was a state that encompassed much of northern South America and parts of Central ...
, his brother Manuel José was Archbishop of
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 ...
, and his brother Manuel María was a diplomat.
Marriage and Children
General Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera married twice. As was the custom among bourgeoisie at the time, both times he married maternal relatives. His first marriage was to Mariana Benvenuta Arboleda Arroyo, but it has been characterized as unhappy as a result of the frequent cheating of Mosquera, who had a number of children outside of marriage. When Mariana died, he contracted marriage on 1872 to María Ignacia Arboleda Arboleda. Mosquera was 78 at the time, and reportedly when he proposed to her he said, 'Would you like to be the widow of General Mosquera?' In total he had eight children (with: Mariana Arboleda -Anibal Mosquera and Amalia Mosquera-; María Ignacia Arboleda -José Bolívar Mosquera-; Paula Luque -Clelia Mosquera, Teodulia Mosquera, Isabel Mosquera-; María Lorza -María Engracia Mosquera-; Candelaria Cervantes -Tomás Cervantes Mosquera-).
Academic life
Mosquera was a self-taught mathematician, historian, and writer, well-versed in
Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
, English, French and Italian and wrote different books about philosophy and politics that have academical recognition.
Military and political career
Beginnings

Already by 1814 he was involved in the independence movement and he was under command 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 ...
. By 1824 he had already been promoted to Lieutenant Colonel, and in that year he battled the royalist Spanish Army under the command of Lieutenant Colonel
Agustín Agualongo, during the
Pasto Campaign in Barbacoas, (
Nariño). It was in this battle that he received the shot that broke his lower jaw and impaired his speech, and that made him the object of the infamous nickname of "Mascachochas." His prowess in battle was awarded by a promotion to colonel, and he became governor of a number of provinces in the southwest of the country (
Buenaventura,
Guayaquil
Guayaquil (), officially Santiago de Guayaquil, is the largest city in Ecuador and also the nation's economic capital and main port. The city is the capital (political), capital of Guayas Province and the seat of Guayaquil Canton. The city is ...
,
Cauca), at the same time raising among the ranks, and being promoted to general in 1829.
Mosquera was a diplomat in
Peru
Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...
between 1829 and 1830, and subsequently he was a diplomat in various countries in Europe and in the United States (1830–1833). At his return he became a congressman (1834–1837), and later Secretary of War for the conservative government of
José Ignacio de Márquez. As secretary of war, Mosquera commanded and was victorious in the
War of the Supremes in 1840. He was later sent as ambassador to Peru,
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...
and
Bolivia
Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...
, between 1842 and 1845.
First Presidential Term (1845–1849)
In 1845, the so-called ministerial sector (who later would form the Conservative Party) supported Mosquera as a candidate for Presidency, and he was victorious. During his administration he emphasized economic opening up. In 1846 his administration signed the
Mallarino–Bidlack Treaty with the United States. He also was influential in the suppression of remnant colonial taxes, and reinvigorated the tobacco industry. It was also during his term that the
International System of Units
The International System of Units, internationally known by the abbreviation SI (from French ), is the modern form of the metric system and the world's most widely used system of measurement. It is the only system of measurement with official s ...
was implemented. Mosquera also started political measures to separate the State and Catholic Church. He also hired
Thomas Reed to direct the building of
Capitolio Nacional. His administration was also first one in the history of the Country to conduct a census. Finally, he promoted steam navigation over the
Magdalena River
The Magdalena River (, ; less commonly ) is the main river of Colombia, flowing northward about through the western half of the country. It takes its name from the biblical figure Mary Magdalene. It is navigable through much of its lower reaches, ...
, when he authorized in 1849 that exports could pass by the port of
Barranquilla
Barranquilla () is the capital district of the Atlántico department in Colombia. It is located near the Caribbean Sea and is the largest city and third port in the Caribbean region of Colombia, Caribbean coast region; as of 2018, it had a popul ...
.
His political measures were frowned upon by the sectors that had previously supported him in his presidential election, and he was much closer to liberals. By the end of his term he moved to New York city to devote in his family business, and he created an international trade house in there which went bankrupt. While in New York, he wrote his 'Memoria sobre geografía física y política de Nueva Granada', one of his many treatises in Colombian geography. He was member of a number of scientific societies in Latin America and Europe. He went back to Colombia some years later to fight the so-called
Artisans' Revolution, and to defeat the dictatorship of
José María Melo in 1854. By then he had fully converted to the liberal party, and as such he was a representative and senator in the Congress, as well as a candidate to presidential reelection in 1857, which he lost to conservative
Mariano Ospina Rodríguez. With the creation of
Granadine Confederation, Mosquera was elected president of the
Cauca State, a position from which he made opposition to president Ospina, to whom he accused of disrespecting the states' autonomy.
Civil War 1860–1862

In 1860 Mosquera declared the secession of the
Cauca State and declared war to the Granadine Confederation. He soon received support from the states of
Santander and
Tolima, which proclaimed him governor. After heavy battles
Colombian Civil War, Mosquera was able to seize the power in 1861, after which he promoted the creation of the
United States of Colombia
The United States of Colombia () was the name adopted in 1863 by the for the Granadine Confederation, after years of civil war. Colombia became a federal state itself composed of nine "sovereign states.” It comprised the present-day nat ...
.
Second and Third Presidential Terms (1861–1864)
During his second term as president (1861–1863), Mosquera enacted several decrees aimed to control the power of the Catholic Church, selling many of its properties to invigorate the economy and giving them to the poor Colombian people, and banning Jesuits from the country for their open support for the Conservative faction. Despite some dissent, a federal and liberal constitution was proclaimed that guaranteed rights to citizens. All the signers supported this Constitution. It was decided that Mosquera should complete the first two-year term as President of the United States of Colombia, until April 1864.
Mosquera's third term included war against
Ecuador
Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...
in 1863, and he personally commanded the Colombian army to victory. This would be the only international conflict to date between the two countries. At the end of his term, he traveled to Paris as ambassador to France.
Fourth Presidential Term (1866–1867), retirement and death
In 1866 Mosquera went back to Colombia, to be elected President for the fourth time, despite the opposition of radical liberals. Nevertheless, tensions with the Catholic Church led to strong intervention by
Pope Pius IX
Pope Pius IX (; born Giovanni Maria Battista Pietro Pellegrino Isidoro Mastai-Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878. His reign of nearly 32 years is the longest verified of any pope in hist ...
, and his use of dictatorial measures (such as the closing of the ordinary sessions of Congress in 1867) led the opposition to orchestrate a coup d'état on May 23, 1867. His enemies were besides aware that Mosquera was ready to sue corrupted politicians that had taken advantage of the properties that belonged to the Catholic Church and were assigned to the poor ones. He was exiled for the three next years, during which he lived in
Lima
Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...
, where he wrote his book 'Cosmogonía. Estudio sobre los diversos sistemas de la creación del universo' (Cosmogony. A study of the diverse systems of the creation of the universe). Back in Colombia by 1871, he ran for president again but failed, although he was elected to the presidency of
Cauca State until 1873. He was a senator again in 1876.
He died October 7, 1878, in his farm Coconuco, in
Puracé, close to
Popayán. He was buried in the Panteón de los Próceres cemetery in Popayán.
Works
* ''Vida de Bolívar'' ("Life of Bolívar," New York, 1853)
* ''Cosmogonía. Estudio sobre los diversos sistemas de la creación del universo'' ("Cosmogony. A study of the diverse systems of the creation of the universe," 1868)
* ''Memoria sobre geografía física y política de la Nueva Granada''
Notes
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Mosquera, Tomas Cipriano de
Presidents of Colombia
1798 births
1878 deaths
People from the Republic of New Granada
People from Popayán
People excommunicated by the Catholic Church
Colombian people of Galician descent
Presidential Designates of Colombia
Colombian Liberal Party politicians
Ambassadors of Colombia to Peru
Ambassadors of Colombia to Chile
Ambassadors of Colombia to Bolivia
Ambassadors of Colombia to France
People of the Colombian War of Independence
Colombian generals
Leaders ousted by a coup
19th-century Colombian people
Colombian Roman Catholics
Mosquera family
Arboleda family
Vergara family
Urrutia family
Warlords