Carrera 9 Nº 51-11 Sede Central, Bogotá, D.C., Colombia
Santander studied at Saint Thomas Aquinas University for a law degree, but after the independence movement began, he enlisted in the armed forces of the revolution without completing his studies.
Francisco de Paula Santander (Museo Nacional de Colombia)
Water Color of General Santander by Master Santiago Martinez Delgado
Bolívar and Francisco de Paula Santander during the Congress of Cúcuta.
Carrera 9 Nº 51-11 Sede Central, Bogotá, D.C., Colombia
Santander studied at Saint Thomas Aquinas University for a law degree, but after the independence movement began, he enlisted in the armed forces of the revolution without completing his studies.
Francisco de Paula Santander (Museo Nacional de Colombia)
Water Color of General Santander by Master Santiago Martinez Delgado
Bolívar and Francisco de Paula Santander during the Congress of Cúcuta.
("Political Conflict in Gran Colombia" contains English tr...)
"Political Conflict in Gran Colombia" contains English translations of two proclamations issued by two major 19th century political leaders in the 1820s. The first is a proclamation from Francisco de Paula Santander (full name Francisco José de Paula Santander y Omaña, 1792-1840). The second is from Simón Bolivar (full name Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios, 1783-1830).
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1827
Francisco de Paula Santander was born on April 12, 1792, at Rosario de Cúcuta near the Venezuelan border. His father, Juan Agustin Santander Colmenares, was a governor and the owner of a cocoa plantation. His mother’s name was Manuela Antonia de Omana Rodriguez. Both of his parents were part of wealthy aristocratic families that moved from Spain to South America.
Santander was sent at age thirteen to Bogotá to complete his education. He studied at Saint Thomas Aquinas University for a law degree, but after the independence movement began, he enlisted in the armed forces of the revolution without completing his studies.
Santander joined the army in 1810 and in the civil warfare that soon broke out between centralists in Bogotá and the federalist United Provinces of New Granada, he, a junior officer, sided with the latter and in 1813 joined the patriot army defending northeastern New Granada against the royalists. Victory alternated with defeat until the patriots suffered a crushing setback at the battle of Cachirí in February 1816. Santander was among the survivors who made their way to relative safety on the eastern llanos, the lowland plains stretching from the foothills of the Andes to the Orinoco Basin.
Santander helped defend the llanos against royalist incursions, ultimately winning promotion to general. It was also in the llanos that he first displayed his talents as an administrator by organizing the province of Casanare as a base of patriot resistance. His success in this effort was one reason Simón Bolívar decided in 1819 to strike westward from the llanos of Venezuela into the heart of New Granada. He picked Santander to lead the vanguard of his army as he invaded the Andean highlands and won the decisive battle of Boyacá on 7 August.
Although Santander played an important part in that victory, Boyacá was the last battle he fought, for Bolívar placed him in charge of organizing all the liberated territories of New Granada. Santander put government on a sound footing and raised troops and supplies for the armies still fighting. When, in 1821, Gran Colombia was formally constituted by the Congress of Cúcuta, Santander was elected vice president. Since the president, Bolívar, was still leading the military struggle against Spain, Santander became acting chief executive and as such again provided an effective administrator. He also endeavored to implement the liberal reforms adopted by the Congress of Cúcuta and subsequent legislatures, which ranged from a free-birth law to tax reforms and various measures curbing the traditional wealth and power of the church.
The government of Santander faced growing disaffection especially in Venezuela, which resented subordination to authorities in Bogotá. These feelings came to a head with the revolt of José Antonio Páez in 1826, just as Bolívar prepared to return home from Peru. Santander was disappointed when Bolívar proceeded to pardon Páez and to work toward revamping the new nation's institutions as a way of preventing future upheavals. Bolívar wanted a moratorium on liberal reform and strengthening of the national executive, policies that, combined with personal and factional rivalry, produced an open split with Santander. Following an unsuccessful attempt at constitutional reform, Bolívar assumed dictatorial powers and stripped Santander of the vice presidency. When liberal supporters of the latter attempted to assassinate Bolívar in September 1828, Santander himself was charged with complicity. Although the charge was never substantiated, the former vice president was exiled.
From 1829 to 1832 Santander traveled in Europe and the United States. He was still in exile at the final breakup of Gran Colombia and the reorganization of its central core as the Republic of New Granada. He returned in 1832 to become the first elected president of New Granada, a position he held until 1837. Once again exercising his administrative talents, he consolidated public order and even produced a balanced budget. Now more cautious than before, he did not push for sweeping reforms, although he did work hard to expand public education.
Santander was succeeded as president by José Ignacio de Márquez, a one-time collaborator of Santander who had forged an alliance with his main political adversaries, the former supporters of Bolívar. As ex-president, Santander won election to the Chamber of Representatives, where he was a leader of congressional opposition to Márquez until his death in 1840.
Long the counterpart to Simon Bolívar, Francisco de Paula Santander was both an ally and an enemy to the Liberator, and remains one of the greatest Colombian heroes to this day. He served as one of the two lead commanders in the pivotal Battle of Boyacá, an assault on the heart of Spanish power in Colombia, after leading (with Bolívar) troops across a grueling hike through rain-swollen rivers and icy mountain passes in order to catch the Spanish off-guard. The battle secured Colombian victory, and its success prompted Bolívar to declare the liberation of Gran Colombia complete.
In addition to his military merits, Santander is also recognized as an important and influential political figure not alone in his native land but throughout America. He was far ahead of his time for his civilian spirit and was considered one of the founders of the liberal movement in Colombia.
("Political Conflict in Gran Colombia" contains English tr...)
1827Santander was known for his great respect for the law and his attempt to establish a society based on constitutional law instead of dictatorship. He has been revered as "Man of Laws" and "Civil Founder of the Republic". He received special honor from members of Colombia's Liberal Party, whose principal founders had been among his strongest supporters. Proclerical conservatives were less enthusiastic, and in recent years they have been joined by new detractors on the left who depict Santander as a spokesman for creole oligarchs and friend to the United States. Nevertheless, among the founders of the Colombian nation he has no close rival apart from Bolívar himself.
As vice president of Gran Colombia, Santander moved towards a centralist political philosophy and upheld the legitimacy of the Cucutá Constitution against federalist and regionalist pretensions. He worked towards free trade, reduced the taxes, and improved the conditions for immigrants. He sent trade missions around the world and managed to get Great Britain and the United States to recognize Gran Colombia as a state. He issued many mandates relating to trade, some of which Bolivar overturned as soon as he returned from battle, oftentimes through emergency decrees. This happened especially in the later years, when tensions between the two leaders were running high. Their differing points of view over the future of Gran Colombia soon created an irreparable rift between the two and set off a string of political events that marked the destiny of the newly liberated Spanish colonies.
As President of the Republic of New Granada, Santander moved away from free trade and stressed an alternate form of protectionism. He focused on cooperating with developed, industrialized nations. His administration was noted for its economy, firmness, and orderliness. He was also strongly concerned about education and created the so-called Santander schools, where secondary as well as higher education in theology, philosophy, medicine or law could be received.
During his first and second administration, Santander ordered the execution of most of the Spanish officers in captivity.
Santander remained politically active after his presidency and became one of the initial ideological founders of the Liberal Party of Colombia.
Quotations:
"Colombians: Weapons have given us independence. The law will make us free."
"When Calhoun was talking about Bolívar, he asked me if he had a passion for money. I answered no, because his two dominant passions were: glory and power."
"My philosophy makes me live happy with the assurance that public testimony and my conscience persuade that I have tried to fill my duties."
"The last day of my life will be the first in which New Granada will not see me occupied with its independence, its honor and its freedoms."
"Moderation, tolerance and justice rule the heart and disarm discontent."
"The sword of the liberators must, from now on, be subject to the laws of the Republic."
Francisco de Paula Santander was a freemason.
Though he held the rank of general, Santander is chiefly remembered as a vigorous civil administrator. He lacked Bolívar's magnetism but was a man of impressive personal bearing and dignity. He was known to be a quiet and taciturn man that enjoyed spending time by himself more than in the company of others.
Santander remained a bachelor for most of his life. In 1811, he had a son, Manuel, with a woman named Mariquita. Years later, he was in a relationship with a woman named Paz Piedrahita Saenz. In 1933, they had a son, named Francisco de Paula Santander Piedrahita. Three years later, he married Sixta Ponton. Their son, Juan, died at birth. They then had two daughters, named Clementina and Sixta.
(1768 - August 29, 1819)
(December 30, 1814 - July 28, 1861)
(November 30, 1837 - July 15, 1915)
(February 7, 1839 - June 9, 1875)
(August 23, 1833 - August 11, 1916)
