Jose Antonio Paez
| José Antonio Páez | |
|---|---|
Portrait by Martín Tovar y Tovar
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| 1st President of Venezuela | |
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In office 13 January 1830 – 20 January 1835 |
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| Preceded by |
Simón Bolívar (As President of the Third Republic of Venezuela) |
| Succeeded by | Andrés Narvarte |
| 9th President of Venezuela | |
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In office 1 February 1839 – 28 January 1843 |
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| Preceded by | Carlos Soublette |
| Succeeded by | Carlos Soublette |
| 19th President of Venezuela | |
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In office 29 August 1861 – 15 June 1863 |
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| Preceded by | Pedro Gual |
| Succeeded by | Juan Crisóstomo Falcón |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
13 June 1790 Curpa, Portuguesa, Venezuela |
| Died | 6 May 1873 (aged 82) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Spouse(s) |
Dominga Ortiz Orzúa Barbarita Nieves |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Signature |  |
José Antonio Páez Herrera (13 June 1790 – 6 May 1873), commonly known as José Antonio Páez, was a Venezuelan leader who fought the Spanish Crown under Simón Bolívar during the Venezuelan Wars of Independence. He later led Venezuela's breakaway from Gran Colombia.
He dominated the country's politics for most of the next two decades as its president once it was independent of the Gran Colombia (1830–1835; 1839–1843; 1861–1863). He is considered a prime example of a 19th-century South American caudillo. He lived in Buenos Aires and New York City during his years in exile and died there in 1873.
Páez was born in Curpa, Portuguesa State in Venezuela. His paternal grandmother, Luisa Antonia de Mendoza y Mota, was daughter of Luís Rodríguez de Mendoza, a native of Icod de los Vinos, Tenerife (Canary Island). He was of humble origins, his father being a low level employee of the colonial government. As a boy he was forced to work like a slave. By the age of 20 Páez was married and earning a living by trading cattle.
Late in 1810, he joined a cavalry squadron, led by a former employer, set up with the purpose of fighting the colonial government. In 1813, he asked for leave from his squadron with the intent of setting and leading his own, which he did, joining the Western Republican Army with the rank of sergeant. Páez had an ingratiating personality which made him very much liked amongst those who knew him. He was also looked up to for his skills as a horseman and for his physical capabilities.
Páez, a soldier at heart, started moving up the ranks by winning year after year several engagements against the royalists with his band of marauding llaneros (plainsmen). He came to be known by the nicknames of "El Centauro de los Llanos" (The Centaur of the Plains), and "El León de Payara" (The Lion of Payara) or (The Lion of Apure).
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Wikipedia