Background
José Tadeo Monagas Burgos was born in Maturín, Venezuela on October 28, 1784.
José Tadeo Monagas Burgos was born in Maturín, Venezuela on October 28, 1784.
He served in the wars of independence and became a member of the constitutional convention in 1830, when Venezuela broke away from Gran Colombia. He served as president from 1846 to 1851. After being elected by the Conservatives, headed by the patriot José Antonio Páez, Monagas switched to the Liberals.
In 1850 Páez led a revolt, but he was defeated and exiled. Monagas was succeeded by his brother, José Gregorio Monagas, but he returned to the presidency for the years 1855 to 1858. In 1857 Monagas amended the constitution to give the president a six-year term, to allow his reelection, and to remodel the government upon a centralized basis.
His dictatorial ambitions united all factions against him, and he was compelled to resign in 1858. In 1868 he regained the presidency but died in El Valle on November 18 of that year before he could be installed.
