Pedro Alcántara Herrán | |
---|---|
1st Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of Colombia to Costa Rica | |
In office 1856–1870 |
|
President | Manuel María Mallarino |
Preceded by | Office Created |
Succeeded by | Antonio María Pradilla |
2nd Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of Colombia to the United States | |
In office 20 June 1855 - 3 March 1863 – December 7, 1847 - August 16, 1849 |
|
President | Manuel María Mallarino |
Preceded by | José María Salazar |
Succeeded by | Manuel Murillo Toro |
7th President of the Republic of the New Granada | |
In office 1 April 1841 – 1 April 1845 |
|
Vice President | Domingo Caycedo |
Preceded by | José Ignacio de Márquez |
Succeeded by | Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera |
Personal details | |
Born |
Bogotá, Viceroyalty of the New Granada |
19 October 1800
Died | 26 April 1872 Bogotá, Cundinamarca, United States of Colombia |
(aged 71)
Political party | Conservative |
Spouse(s) | Amelia Mosquera Arboleda |
Religion | Roman Catholic |
Pedro Alcántara Herrán Martínez de Zaldúa was a Colombian general and statesman who served as President of the Republic of the New Granada between 1841 and 1845. As a general he served in the wars of independence of the New Granada and of Peru.
HERRAN was born in Bogotá, Viceroyalty of the New Granada, on October 19, 1800. He died in Bogotá on April 26, 1872.
He was also the son-in-law of Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera.
HERRAN initiated his education in the Colegio Mayor de San Bartolomé in Bogotá, but he dropped out of school at the age of 14 to join the revolutionary army in 1814.
HERRAN enlisted in the revolutionary army of General Simón Bolívar as a teenager. He fought in several battles, and in the battle of Cuchilla del Tambo he was captured by the Spanish forces. He was court-martialed and sentenced to death by the military court. His death sentence was commuted in exchange for serving in the Spanish Army, which he did for five years. Later, he escaped and rejoined the revolutionary army of General Antonio José de Sucre with the rank of captain.
HERRAN joined the armies of the southern campaigns in Nueva Granada and Perú. He fought in the battles of “Bomboná” (April 7, 1822), “Battle of Junín” (August 6, 1824), and “Ayacucho” (December 9, 1824), the last of the greatest battles of the independence war against Spain. Because of his valor and heroic actions in combat, General Bolívar promoted him to the rank of General in 1828. Later, he was commissioned as Military Chief of the province of Panamá.
HERRAN's best military performance was during the war of 1839, defending the government of José Ignacio de Márquez against the revolt of General José María Obando, due to the administration’s closure of the Catholic convents in the city of Pasto. This victory propelled him to the political arena and he was nominated as presidential candidate by President Márquez.