Background
José Antonio Páez was born on 13 June 1790 in Portuguesa.
José Antonio Páez was born on 13 June 1790 in Portuguesa.
He had only the most rudimentary formal education.
Before the outbreak of the movement for independence, he was employed as a ranch-hand in the great plains or llanos. Once the independence struggle began in 1810, Páez joined the rebel forces, mobilizing the llanos cattlemen for the cause. When the movement was temporarily defeated in 1814, Páez continued the struggle.
When Simón Bolívar returned from exile to renew the war for independence in 1816, José Antonio Páez recognized his authority.
Páez became increasingly discontented with the Gran Colombia regime, presided over by Bolivar and with its seat in Bogotá, Colombia. In 1826, summoned to Bogotá to explain his conduct, he was not punished. In the next year, he led an abortive revolt, which ended when Bolivar pardoned him.
When a new revolt began in 1829, Páez joined it and soon became its head. In 1831 he became first president of Venezuela and served for one four-year term. He was succeeded by a hand-picked civilian named José Maria Vargas, but a few months later a revolt led by Santiago Marino and José Tadeo Monagas overthrew Vargas. Thereupon Páez rallied his supporters and restored Vargas to office.
However, Vargas was again forced out in 1836 and was succeeded by another Páez loyalist. Vice President Carlos Soublette. Páez then returned to the presidency for the 1839-1843 term, and was succeeded by Soublette for the 1843-1847 period.
With the exit of President Soublette. domination of Venezuelan politics by Páez and the so-called Conservative oligarchy came to an end. Páez chose as his candidate in 1847 General José Tadeo Monagas, a leader of the 1831 revolt, who had subsequently made his peace with Páez. Once in office, Monagas formed an alliance with the Liberals. As a consequence, Páez led a revolt against Monagas, but was defeated and went into exile.
Returning to Venezuela with a small force of armed followers in 1849, José Antonio Páez was this time not only defeated but also captured. He was exiled in 1850 and spent the next eight years in New York City.
With the overthrow of the Liberal regime in 1858 by General Julián Castro, Páez went back to Venezuela. However, in July 1859 he again went abroad. This time he stayed overseas until 1861 when he was called back by his Conservative followers to lead their military forces in the Federal War that had been underway for two years. Soon afterward he was declared dictator of Venezuela by the Conservative forces.
Meanwhile, the Conservatives were losing the Federal War. Finally, in the middle of 1863 an agreement was signed between José Antonio Páez and the Federalist (Liberal) leader General Juan Cristósomo Falcon, which put an end to the conflict and recognized Falcon as president. Páez then returned to his exile in New York City, where he died.