Juan Germán Roscio
| Juan Germán Roscio | |
|---|---|
 |
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| 1st Minister of Foreign Affairs of Venezuela | |
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In office 25 April 1810 – 2 March 1811 |
|
| President | Cristóbal Mendoza |
| Succeeded by | Pedro Gual |
| Vice President of Gran Colombia | |
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In office 21 March 1820 – 10 March 1821 |
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| President | Simón Bolívar |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
27 May 1763 San José de Tiznados, Province of Venezuela |
| Died | 10 March 1821 (aged 57) Cúcuta, Gran Colombia |
| Profession | lawyer, politician |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Signature |  |
Juan Germán Roscio (27 May 1763 – 10 March 1821) was a Venezuelan lawyer and politician of Italian background. He served as the secretary of foreign affairs for the Junta of Caracas, as Venezuela's first foreign minister, and as chief of the Executive during the First Republic of Venezuela. He was also editor for Gazeta de Caracas and ran the Correo del Orinoco. He was the main editor of the Venezuelan Declaration of Independence, the chief architect of the Venezuelan Constitution of 1811 and the electoral rules for the election of the first Congress. He was also president of the Angostura Congress in 1819 and vicepresident of Gran Colombia.
Roscio was born to Italian migrant from Milan, Giovanni Roscio, and Paula María Nieves, a Venezuelan native from La Victoria. Living in San Francisco de Tiznados, he learnt Italian and Latin. He moved to Caracas in 1774 in order to further his studies, undertaken under tutelage from the Count of San Javier's daughter. He studied theology and civil law, attaining degrees in Canon law and civil law in 1794 and 1800 respectively.
Filing for licensing at the Real Audiencia de Caracas in 1796, the College of Law alleged his unsuitability in light of irregularities in his maternal heritage claims, specifically his failure to state his "Indian" heredity. He appealed this determination in a nine-year-long process termed "trial of Inés María Paéz", after which he was admitted into the College. It is for this reason Roscio is considered an early defender of civil rights and anti-discrimination activist.
Roscio is known to have contracted marriage with Guyanese native María Dolores Cuevas, with whom he had a daughter, Carmen Roscio Cuevas, born 10 March 1821.
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