José Miguel Pey de Andrade
Encyclopedia
José Miguel Pey y García de Andrade (March 11, 1763 – August 17, 1838) was a Colombia
n statesman
and soldier and a leader of the independence movement from Spain
. He is considered the first vice president and first president of Colombia. He was a centralist
.
, was born on March 11, 1763 in Santa Fe de Bogotá, New Granada
into a distinguished family. His father, Juan Francisco Pey, was an oidor
of the Audiencia of Santa Fe de Bogotá, one of the most important positions at the time. Pey studied at the Colegio Mayor de San Bartolomé, graduating as a lawyer
in 1787.
Under the rule of Viceroy
Antonio José Amar y Borbón
, Pey was elected alcalde
of Bogotá
, replacing José Antonio de Ugarte in January 1810. Within a few months, various independence riots broke out around the viceroyalty, and the turmoil soon arrived in the capital.
(Llorente Flower Vase) (July 20, 1810). On that morning, the history of the country changed; a group of Criollos accused José Gonzalez Llorente of discrimination and riots broke out all over the city. Pey, as the alcalde, tried to calm the populace. He proposed protective custody for Llorente, but by doing so he confirmed his culpability in the eyes of the general population and thus fueled the insurgency.
That same day a cabildo abierto
was convened to decide the future of the city. The cabildo was formed by members of the Criollo oligarchy, both revolutionaries
and royalists. The Cabildo opted to create a Junta Suprema
(Supreme Governing Committee) with Viceroy Amar y Borbón as president and Pey as vice president. Amar was sworn in in the early hours of the next day. However, he refused to preside over the junta, and as a consequence, that duty fell to Pey. Pey thus became the first Criollo to exercise executive power in the Viceroyalty of New Granada
. This Junta approved the Act of Independence, and Pey was one of the signers.
Pey led the government with prudence, he himself maintaining loyalty to the House of Bourbon but in favor of regional independence. He was in a difficult situation mediating between the moderate and radical factions in the Junta and in the city. He was pressured to order the arrest of Viceroy Antonio José Amar and his wife the Vicereine María Francisca Villanová on August 13, 1810, but he was not in favor of this action. Shortly thereafter, he had the viceroy moved secretly out of Bogotá
to Cartagena de Indias, where he could escape to Havana
.
A Constitution of Cundinamarca
was adopted in March 1811 for the province of Bogotá, and a congress of New Granadan provinces was convened. On April 1, with the election of Jorge Tadeo Lozano
as resident of the congress, Pey's role as the chief executive in New Granada ended. The congress resulted in the creation of the United Provinces of New Granada
in November, which Cundinamarca refused to join.
After forces of the United Provinces under the command of Simón Bolívar
occupied Cundinamarca, Pey was named governor of the province on December 20, 1814.
for the United Provinces of the New Granada was established. Custodio García Rovira
, José Manuel Restrepo
, and Manuel Rodríguez Torices
were chosen as members of the triumvirate, but Restrepo declined and was never sworn in, so Pey was appointed in his place. He continued in this capacity until July 28 of the same year.
, Rafael Urdaneta
, Congress created a three-member Ejecutivo Plural, or Presidium, that delegated the powers of the presidency to Juan García del Río, Jerónimo Gutiérrez de Mendoza and Pey. Pey was vested with the powers of secretary of war. This presidium ended on May 5, 1831 when vice president Domingo Caycedo
took power.
Pey was married to Juana Hipólita Bastidas. He died on August 17, 1838 at the age of 75 in Bogotá.
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
n statesman
Statesman
A statesman is usually a politician or other notable public figure who has had a long and respected career in politics or government at the national and international level. As a term of respect, it is usually left to supporters or commentators to use the term...
and soldier and a leader of the independence movement from Spain
Patria Boba
The period between 1810 and 1816 in the New Kingdom of Granada was marked by such intense conflicts over the nature of the new government or governments that it became known as la Patria Boba . Constant fighting between federalists and centralists gave rise to a prolonged period of instability...
. He is considered the first vice president and first president of Colombia. He was a centralist
Centralized government
A centralized or centralised government is one in which power or legal authority is exerted or coordinated by a de facto political executive to which federal states, local authorities, and smaller units are considered subject...
.
Background
Pey, a CriolloCriollo people
The Criollo class ranked below that of the Iberian Peninsulares, the high-born permanent residence colonists born in Spain. But Criollos were higher status/rank than all other castes—people of mixed descent, Amerindians, and enslaved Africans...
, was born on March 11, 1763 in Santa Fe de Bogotá, New Granada
Viceroyalty of New Granada
The Viceroyalty of New Granada was the name given on 27 May 1717, to a Spanish colonial jurisdiction in northern South America, corresponding mainly to modern Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, and Venezuela. The territory corresponding to Panama was incorporated later in 1739...
into a distinguished family. His father, Juan Francisco Pey, was an oidor
Oidor
Oidor is the Spanish name of the member judge of the Royal Audiencias and Chancillerías, originally courts of Kingdom of Castile, which became the highest organs of justice within the Spanish Empire...
of the Audiencia of Santa Fe de Bogotá, one of the most important positions at the time. Pey studied at the Colegio Mayor de San Bartolomé, graduating as a lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
in 1787.
Viceroy
A viceroy is a royal official who runs a country, colony, or province in the name of and as representative of the monarch. The term derives from the Latin prefix vice-, meaning "in the place of" and the French word roi, meaning king. A viceroy's province or larger territory is called a viceroyalty...
Antonio José Amar y Borbón
Antonio José Amar y Borbón
Antonio José Amar y Borbón Arguedas was a Spanish military officer and colonial official. From September 16, 1803 to July 20, 1810 he was viceroy of New Granada . During his mandate he faced the beginning of the independence movement...
, Pey was elected alcalde
Alcalde
Alcalde , or Alcalde ordinario, is the traditional Spanish municipal magistrate, who had both judicial and administrative functions. An alcalde was, in the absence of a corregidor, the presiding officer of the Castilian cabildo and judge of first instance of a town...
of Bogotá
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
, replacing José Antonio de Ugarte in January 1810. Within a few months, various independence riots broke out around the viceroyalty, and the turmoil soon arrived in the capital.
Vice Presidency
Pey was alcalde of Bogotá at the time of the Cry of Independence, also known as the Florero de LlorenteColombian Declaration of Independence
Colombian Declaration of Independence refers to the historic events which happened on July 20,1810, in Santa Fe de Bogota, at the time the Viceroyalty of New Granada seceded and the related events around this date that defined the uprising of the Republic of Colombia.- Background :An important...
(Llorente Flower Vase) (July 20, 1810). On that morning, the history of the country changed; a group of Criollos accused José Gonzalez Llorente of discrimination and riots broke out all over the city. Pey, as the alcalde, tried to calm the populace. He proposed protective custody for Llorente, but by doing so he confirmed his culpability in the eyes of the general population and thus fueled the insurgency.
That same day a cabildo abierto
Cabildo (council)
For a discussion of the contemporary Spanish and Latin American cabildo, see Ayuntamiento.A cabildo or ayuntamiento was a former Spanish, colonial administrative council that governed a municipality. Cabildos were sometimes appointed, sometimes elected, but were considered to be representative of...
was convened to decide the future of the city. The cabildo was formed by members of the Criollo oligarchy, both revolutionaries
Revolutionary
A revolutionary is a person who either actively participates in, or advocates revolution. Also, when used as an adjective, the term revolutionary refers to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor.-Definition:...
and royalists. The Cabildo opted to create a Junta Suprema
Junta (Peninsular War)
In the Napoleonic era, junta was the name chosen by several local administrations formed in Spain during the Peninsular War as a patriotic alternative to the official administration toppled by the French invaders...
(Supreme Governing Committee) with Viceroy Amar y Borbón as president and Pey as vice president. Amar was sworn in in the early hours of the next day. However, he refused to preside over the junta, and as a consequence, that duty fell to Pey. Pey thus became the first Criollo to exercise executive power in the Viceroyalty of New Granada
Viceroyalty of New Granada
The Viceroyalty of New Granada was the name given on 27 May 1717, to a Spanish colonial jurisdiction in northern South America, corresponding mainly to modern Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, and Venezuela. The territory corresponding to Panama was incorporated later in 1739...
. This Junta approved the Act of Independence, and Pey was one of the signers.
Junta
On July 25, 1810 Amar y Borbón was removed from the Supreme Junta and Pey became president in his own right. The following day the Junta recognized King Ferdinand VII, but not the Regency in Spain.Pey led the government with prudence, he himself maintaining loyalty to the House of Bourbon but in favor of regional independence. He was in a difficult situation mediating between the moderate and radical factions in the Junta and in the city. He was pressured to order the arrest of Viceroy Antonio José Amar and his wife the Vicereine María Francisca Villanová on August 13, 1810, but he was not in favor of this action. Shortly thereafter, he had the viceroy moved secretly out of Bogotá
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
to Cartagena de Indias, where he could escape to Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
.
A Constitution of Cundinamarca
Cundinamarca Department
- Origin of the name :The name of Cundinamarca comes from Kundur marqa, an indigenous expression, probably derived from Quechua. Meaning "Condor's Nest", it was used in pre-Columbian times by the natives of the Magdalena Valley to refer to the nearby highlands....
was adopted in March 1811 for the province of Bogotá, and a congress of New Granadan provinces was convened. On April 1, with the election of Jorge Tadeo Lozano
Jorge Tadeo Lozano
Jorge Tadeo Lozano, Viscount of Pastrana was a Neogranadine scientist, journalist, and politician who presided over the Constituent College of Cundinamarca and was elected President of Cundinamarca in 1811....
as resident of the congress, Pey's role as the chief executive in New Granada ended. The congress resulted in the creation of the United Provinces of New Granada
United Provinces of New Granada
The United Provinces of New Granada was a country in South America from 1811 to 1816, a period known in Colombian history as the Patria Boba. It was formed from areas of the New Kingdom of Granada. The government was a federation with a parliamentary system, consisting of a weak executive and...
in November, which Cundinamarca refused to join.
After forces of the United Provinces under the command of Simón Bolívar
Simón Bolívar
Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios Ponte y Yeiter, commonly known as Simón Bolívar was a Venezuelan military and political leader...
occupied Cundinamarca, Pey was named governor of the province on December 20, 1814.
Triumvirate
On March 28, 1815, an Executive TriumvirateTriumvirate
A triumvirate is a political regime dominated by three powerful individuals, each a triumvir . The arrangement can be formal or informal, and though the three are usually equal on paper, in reality this is rarely the case...
for the United Provinces of the New Granada was established. Custodio García Rovira
Custodio García Rovira
José Custodio Cayetano García Rovira was a Neogranadine general, statesman and painter, who fought for the independence of New Granada from Spain, and became President of the United Provinces of the New Granada in 1816...
, José Manuel Restrepo
José Manuel Restrepo
José Manuel Restrepo Veléz was an investigator of Colombian flora, political figure and historian. The Orchid genus Restrepia was named in his honor....
, and Manuel Rodríguez Torices
Manuel Rodríguez Torices
Manuel Rodríguez Torices was a Neogranadine statesman, lawyer, journalist, and Precursor of the Independence of Colombia...
were chosen as members of the triumvirate, but Restrepo declined and was never sworn in, so Pey was appointed in his place. He continued in this capacity until July 28 of the same year.
Presidium
On April 30, 1831 after the resignation of the president of Gran ColombiaGran Colombia
Gran Colombia is a name used today for the state that encompassed much of northern South America and part of southern Central America from 1819 to 1831. This short-lived republic included the territories of present-day Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Panama, northern Peru and northwest Brazil. The...
, Rafael Urdaneta
Rafael Urdaneta
Rafael José Urdaneta y Faría was a Venezuelan General and hero of the Spanish American wars of independence in several countries in northern South America.- Biographic data :...
, Congress created a three-member Ejecutivo Plural, or Presidium, that delegated the powers of the presidency to Juan García del Río, Jerónimo Gutiérrez de Mendoza and Pey. Pey was vested with the powers of secretary of war. This presidium ended on May 5, 1831 when vice president Domingo Caycedo
Domingo Caycedo
Domingo de Caycedo y Sanz de Santamaría was a Colombian statesman who served as Vice-president of Gran Colombia and the Republic of New Granada, and due to the absence of the presidents, he himself served as President a total of eleven times, making him the person to have served more times as...
took power.
Pey was married to Juana Hipólita Bastidas. He died on August 17, 1838 at the age of 75 in Bogotá.