Juan Vicente Gómez
| Juan Vicente Gómez | |
|---|---|
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| 39th, 42nd & 44th President of Venezuela | |
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In office 19 December 1908 – 13 August 1913 |
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| Preceded by | Cipriano Castro |
| Succeeded by | José Gil Fortoul |
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In office 24 June 1922 – 30 May 1929 |
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| Preceded by | Victorino Márquez Bustillos |
| Succeeded by | Juan Bautista Pérez |
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In office 13 June 1931 – 17 December 1935 |
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| Preceded by | Juan Bautista Pérez |
| Succeeded by | Eleazar López Contreras |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
24 July 1857 Hacienda La Mulera, Táchira, Venezuela |
| Died | 17 December 1935 (aged 78) Maracay, Aragua, Venezuela |
| Children |
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Juan Vicente Gómez Chacón (24 July 1857 – 17 December 1935) was a military general and de facto ruler of Venezuela from 1908 until his death in 1935. He was president on three occasions during this time, and ruled as an unelected military strongman for the rest of the era.
Gómez was born into a prominent family of Andean landowners who lived in the La Mulera. In 1899, he joined the private army of Cipriano Castro, with whom he had been friends since Castro's exile in Colombia. This army swept down on Caracas in 1899 and seized control of the country. He became Castro's vice president and, in 1902, head of the military, responsible for suppressing several major revolts against the government in the battle of Ciudad Bolivar on 21 July 1903. Gomez seized power from Castro on 19 December 1908, while Castro was in Europe for medical treatment.
As president, Gómez managed to deflate Venezuela's staggering debt by granting concessions to foreign oil companies after the discovery of petroleum in Lake Maracaibo in 1918. This, in turn, won him the support of the United States and Europe and economic stability. Though he used the money to launch an extensive public works program, he also received generous kickbacks, increasing his personal fortune enormously. Because of his contributions to the country's development, the Congress bestowed the title of El Benemérito ("the Meritorious One") on him. In contrast, his opponents, who disdained his brutal tactics at home, referred to him as El Bagre ("the Catfish"), a snide reference to his bushy moustache and outward appearance. They also called him "the Tyrant of the Andes" - a reference to his roots in the mountain state of Táchira.
On 19 April 1914, Gómez ostensibly stepped down from office in favor of provisional president Victorino Márquez, though he continued to rule the country from his home in Maracay. He returned to office in 1922, ruling until 22 April 1929. Though he was reelected to a new term of office by the Congress, he declined to return to the capital, and Juan Bautista Pérez assumed the presidency, though Gómez remained the final authority in the country. On 13 June 1931, Congress forced Perez to resign, and elected Gómez president again. This time, he resumed office, ruling the country until his death.
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Wikipedia