Ramón González Valencia
Encyclopedia
Ramón González Valencia (1851 – 1928) was a Colombian
conservative
, military officer and statesman
. He participated in the civil wars of 1876
, Colombian Civil War of 1895, and the Thousand Days War
.
, Santander del Norte, on May 24, 1851. He died in the city of Pamplona
, North Santander, on October 3, 1928.
.
Later, González Valencia, during the liberal revolt against President Miguel Antonio Caro
, in 1895, once again he enlists in the national army to fight for his conservative beliefs. He repeated this same action during the civil war of “the Thousand Days”. Throughout his military career he was highly regarded for his courageous and compassionate attitude. He was ascended to the rank of General of the Army.
González Valencia also held the offices of “Jefe Civil y Militar” (Military Governor) of Santander Department
and Minister of War during the administration of President José Manuel Marroquín
, in 1901.
to be the running mate of Rafael Reyes
as his vice-president. The Colombian Liberal Party
abstained from participating in the presidential election of this year, and both Reyes and González Valencia won the election. Nevertheless, and soon after the election, their ideological differences became apparent. González Valencia was a right wing conservative and Reyes was a moderate.
General Reyes, who was politically more ambitious than General González Valencia, could not forget the events of July 31, 1900, when Vice-President José Manuel Marroquín
, with the aid of the military and the conservative party, had removed for m office President Manuel Antonio Sanclemente
. Because President Rafael Reyes
had opened the doors to a dialogue with the liberals, this made the conservatives very suspicious. Because General González Valencia was highly appreciated by both, the Army and the conservative party, this made General Reyes very uncomfortable. Thus, General Reyes had to contrive a plan to remove General González Valencia from the vice-presidency. He requested the intervention of two common friends of him and General González, the Ambassador of the Vatican City State, Nuncio Apostólico Monsignor Francisco Ragonessi and Don Luis Martínez Silva, to whom he expressed his concerns and intentions. General Reyes asked them to please communicate, in the best possible manner, to General González his decision.
Therefore, Monsignor Francisco Ragonessi and Martínez Silva contacted General González Valencia, who was in Cúcuta
. They conveyed the message and explained to him that General Reyes would very much appreciate his “voluntary” resignation to the office he had been elected to. All three agreed to meet in Duitama, an equidistant point between Bogotá
and Cúcuta. On March 9, 1905, they met, as agreed, and General González Valencia submitted his resignation.
General González Valencia served as Vice President
under Rafael Reyes
, who because of personal and professional differences, fired him and abolished the office of the vice presidency. It was not until the enactment of the Colombian Constitution of 1991
that the vice-presidency was reinstated again. He also served as Interim
President of Colombia
from August 3, 1909 to August 7, 1910.
General González Valencia, in his letter of resignation, addressed to the nation and not to General Reyes, said: “In the best interest of the country and for the high ideals of the party, I resign today voluntarily, before the nation that honored and trusted me with this high office, because of the incompatibilities between the President and the Vice-President”. The resignation was obviously not voluntarily, in light of the demands of the “dictador de facto”. The liberal party manifested great appreciation to Monsignor Ragonessi for his valuable service in furtherance of the peace process in the nation.
The political tide and public opinion changed in disfavor of General Reyes. He resigned as President and handed over the office to President Interim Jorge Holguín
. General Reyes, on his way out of the country, met with General González Valencia in the port of Gamarra
and asked him to retake his office of Vice-President. General Reyes declined his offer, for obvious reasons. Nevertheless, once that General Reyes had left the country, Congress convened on July 20, 1909, and elected General González Valencia as president of Colombia. General González Valencia was inaugurated on August 3, 1909, and was to serve until August 6, 1910.
Colombian people
Colombian people are from a multiethnic Spanish speaking nation in South America called Colombia. Colombians are predominantly Roman Catholic and are a mixture of Europeans, Africans, and Amerindians.-Demography:...
conservative
Colombian Conservative Party
The Colombian Conservative Party , is a conservative political party in Colombia. The party was unofficially founded by a group of Revolutionary Commoners during the Revolutionary War for Independence from the Spanish Monarchy and later formally established during the Greater Colombia...
, military officer and 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...
. He participated in the civil wars of 1876
Colombian Civil War of 1876
Colombian Civil War of 1876 was a civil war in the United States of Colombia that went on from 1876 to 1877...
, Colombian Civil War of 1895, and the Thousand Days War
Thousand Days War
The Thousand Days' War , was a civil armed conflict in the newly created Republic of Colombia, between the Conservative Party, the Liberal Party and its radical factions. In 1899 the ruling conservatives were accused of maintaining power through fraudulent elections...
.
Biographic data
González Valencia was born in the town of ChitagáChitagá
Chitagá is a Colombian municipality and town located in the department of North Santander.-References:...
, Santander del Norte, on May 24, 1851. He died in the city of Pamplona
Pamplona
Pamplona is the historial capital city of Navarre, in Spain, and of the former kingdom of Navarre.The city is famous worldwide for the San Fermín festival, from July 6 to 14, in which the running of the bulls is one of the main attractions...
, North Santander, on October 3, 1928.
Military career
Although González Valencia was a young farmer, working in agriculture and cattle rising, he enlisted in the military during the civil wars of the time. His military career began in 1876, at the battle of “Hatogrande”, the conservative revolt against President Aquileo ParraAquileo Parra
José Bonifacio Aquileo Elias Parra Gómez was a Colombian soldier, businessman and political figure. He was the president of Colombia between 1876 and 1878.- Biographic data :Aquileo Parra was born in Barichara, Santander, on May 12, 1825...
.
Later, González Valencia, during the liberal revolt against President Miguel Antonio Caro
Miguel Antonio Caro
Miguel Antonio Caro Tobar was a Colombian scholar, poet, journalist, philosopher, orator, philologist, lawyer and politician.- Biographic data :Miguel Antonio Caro was born in Bogotá on November 10, 1845, and he died in the same city on August 5, 1909....
, in 1895, once again he enlists in the national army to fight for his conservative beliefs. He repeated this same action during the civil war of “the Thousand Days”. Throughout his military career he was highly regarded for his courageous and compassionate attitude. He was ascended to the rank of General of the Army.
González Valencia also held the offices of “Jefe Civil y Militar” (Military Governor) of Santander Department
Santander Department
Santander is a department of Colombia. Santander inherited the name of one of the nine original states of the United States of Colombia. It is located in the central northern part of the country, east of the Magdalena River, bordered to the south and southeast by Boyacá, to the northeast by Norte...
and Minister of War during the administration of President José Manuel Marroquín
José Manuel Marroquín
Jose Manuel Marroquin Ricaurte was a Colombian political figure and President of Colombia.- Biographic data :José Manuel Marroquín was born in Bogotá, on August 6, 1827. He died in the same city on September 19, 1908.- Early life :...
, in 1901.
The Presidency
González Valencia, in 1904, was chosen by the Colombian Conservative PartyColombian Conservative Party
The Colombian Conservative Party , is a conservative political party in Colombia. The party was unofficially founded by a group of Revolutionary Commoners during the Revolutionary War for Independence from the Spanish Monarchy and later formally established during the Greater Colombia...
to be the running mate of Rafael Reyes
Rafael Reyes
Rafael Reyes Prieto was Chief of Staff of the Colombian National Army and President of Colombia .- Biographic data :...
as his vice-president. The Colombian Liberal Party
Colombian Liberal Party
The Colombian Liberal Party is a center-left party in Colombia that adheres to social democracy and social liberalism.The Party was founded in 1848 and, together with the Colombian Conservative Party, subsequently became one of the two main political forces in the country for over a century.After...
abstained from participating in the presidential election of this year, and both Reyes and González Valencia won the election. Nevertheless, and soon after the election, their ideological differences became apparent. González Valencia was a right wing conservative and Reyes was a moderate.
General Reyes, who was politically more ambitious than General González Valencia, could not forget the events of July 31, 1900, when Vice-President José Manuel Marroquín
José Manuel Marroquín
Jose Manuel Marroquin Ricaurte was a Colombian political figure and President of Colombia.- Biographic data :José Manuel Marroquín was born in Bogotá, on August 6, 1827. He died in the same city on September 19, 1908.- Early life :...
, with the aid of the military and the conservative party, had removed for m office President Manuel Antonio Sanclemente
Manuel Antonio Sanclemente
Manuel Antonio Sanclemente Sanclemente was President of Colombia between 1898 and 1900.- Early life :Sanclemente was born in Buga, Valle del Cauca Department on September 19, 1814. He died in Villeta, Cundinamarca on March 19, 1902, during his house arrest. He studied Law at the University of...
. Because President Rafael Reyes
Rafael Reyes
Rafael Reyes Prieto was Chief of Staff of the Colombian National Army and President of Colombia .- Biographic data :...
had opened the doors to a dialogue with the liberals, this made the conservatives very suspicious. Because General González Valencia was highly appreciated by both, the Army and the conservative party, this made General Reyes very uncomfortable. Thus, General Reyes had to contrive a plan to remove General González Valencia from the vice-presidency. He requested the intervention of two common friends of him and General González, the Ambassador of the Vatican City State, Nuncio Apostólico Monsignor Francisco Ragonessi and Don Luis Martínez Silva, to whom he expressed his concerns and intentions. General Reyes asked them to please communicate, in the best possible manner, to General González his decision.
Therefore, Monsignor Francisco Ragonessi and Martínez Silva contacted General González Valencia, who was in Cúcuta
Cúcuta
Cúcuta is a Colombian city, capital of Norte de Santander, in the northeast of the country. Due to its proximity to the Colombian-Venezuelan border, Cúcuta is an important commercial center. The city has the constitutional category of Special District. It is located at the most active...
. They conveyed the message and explained to him that General Reyes would very much appreciate his “voluntary” resignation to the office he had been elected to. All three agreed to meet in Duitama, an equidistant point between 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...
and Cúcuta. On March 9, 1905, they met, as agreed, and General González Valencia submitted his resignation.
General González Valencia served as Vice President
Vice President of Colombia
The Vice President of Colombia is the first in the presidential line of succession, becoming the new President of Colombia upon leaves of absence or death, resignation, or removal of the President, as designated by the Colombian Constitution of 1991 which also reinstated the vice president figure...
under Rafael Reyes
Rafael Reyes
Rafael Reyes Prieto was Chief of Staff of the Colombian National Army and President of Colombia .- Biographic data :...
, who because of personal and professional differences, fired him and abolished the office of the vice presidency. It was not until the enactment of the Colombian Constitution of 1991
Colombian Constitution of 1991
The Political Constitution of Colombia, better known as the Constitution of 1991, is the current governing document of the Republic of Colombia. Promulgated on July 4 of 1991 , it replaced the Constitution of 1886...
that the vice-presidency was reinstated again. He also served as Interim
Interim
Interim is an album by British rock band The Fall, compiled from live and studio material and released in 2004. It features the first officially released versions of "Clasp Hands", "Blindness" and "What About Us?" — all of which were later included on the band's next studio album Fall Heads Roll —...
President of Colombia
President of Colombia
The President of Colombia is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Colombia. The office of president was established upon the ratification of the Constitution of 1819, by the Congress of Angostura, convened in December 1819, when Colombia was part of "la Gran Colombia"...
from August 3, 1909 to August 7, 1910.
General González Valencia, in his letter of resignation, addressed to the nation and not to General Reyes, said: “In the best interest of the country and for the high ideals of the party, I resign today voluntarily, before the nation that honored and trusted me with this high office, because of the incompatibilities between the President and the Vice-President”. The resignation was obviously not voluntarily, in light of the demands of the “dictador de facto”. The liberal party manifested great appreciation to Monsignor Ragonessi for his valuable service in furtherance of the peace process in the nation.
The political tide and public opinion changed in disfavor of General Reyes. He resigned as President and handed over the office to President Interim Jorge Holguín
Jorge Holguín
Jorge Marcelo Holguín Mallarino was a Colombian politician and military officer, two time Acting President of Colombia for the periods between June, 1909 to August of the same year as interim president, and from November, 1921 to August, 1922...
. General Reyes, on his way out of the country, met with General González Valencia in the port of Gamarra
Gamarra
Gamarra is a town and municipality in the Colombian Department of Cesar.-External links:*...
and asked him to retake his office of Vice-President. General Reyes declined his offer, for obvious reasons. Nevertheless, once that General Reyes had left the country, Congress convened on July 20, 1909, and elected General González Valencia as president of Colombia. General González Valencia was inaugurated on August 3, 1909, and was to serve until August 6, 1910.