Manuel Candamo

Manuel Cándamo
President of the Provisional Government Junta of Peru
In office March 20, 1895 – September 8, 1895
Preceded by	Andrés Avelino Cáceres
Succeeded by	Nicolás de Piérola
30th President of Peru
In office September 8, 1903 – May 7, 1904
Preceded by	Eduardo López de Romaña
Succeeded by	Serapio Calderón
Personal details
Born	July 14, 1841(1841-07-14) Lima, Peru
Died	May 7, 1904(1904-05-07) (aged 62) Arequipa, Peru
Nationality	Peruvian
Political party	Civilista Party
Spouse(s)	Teresa Alvarez-Calderón

Manuel Cándamo Iriarte (14 July 1841 – May 7, 1904) was President of Peru from September 8, 1903 until May 7, the following year, when he died in office.

Early life

Born in a wealthy family (Manuel was the illegitimate son of Pedro Gonzales de Candomo - then the richest man in Peru^[1]), Manuel Cándamo spend his early years in the "Colegio de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe". After graduating from High School, he was accepted in the National University of San Marcos, where he obtained a bachelor's degree on Jurisprudence.

Early political career

Pezet and the Chinchan Islands War

In 1863, Cándamo started to work for "El Comercio", one of the oldest newspapers in the capital. From there, he was a harsh critic of President Juan Antonio Pezet and the "Vivanco-Pareja Treaty", specifically for the way of how the government was handling the diplomatic crisis with Spain. For his actions, he was exiled to Chile, returning only after Mariano Ignacio Prado's successfully launched a coup against Pezet.

After the revolution, he was an active supporter of Prado during the Chincha Islands War. When the Peruvian Congress refused to recognize Prado's government, Cándamo traveled to Chile as part of the Peruvian diplomatic mission. He did not stay on Chile, and left that country for Europe and Asia.

Civilista Party

Manuel Cándamo, together with Manuel Pardo, was among the founding members of the Civilista Party. The party itself achieved public notoriety for being the first organized political party in Peru, and because it was also the first one to be composed primarily of civilians. During this period, Cándamo successfully started once again his political career and several economic businesses.

War of the Pacific and Reconstruction

After the collapse of the Peruvian Southern Armies and the imminent invasion of Lima, Cándamo took part in the defense of the city, fighting in the Battles of San Juan and Miraflores. When the city is occupied by the Chilean Army, Cándamo and several other prominent politicians are deported to Chile due to their opposition to any peace proposal that involved ceding Tarapacá, Tacna and Arica to the Chileans.

Candamo returned to Peru after the Treaty of Ancón was signed and the war over, and is once again deported for his opposition to President Miguel Iglesias and support to Andrés Avelino Cáceres. Once Iglesias is overthrown and Cáceres is in power, Candamo was elected to the Senate, reaching its presidency in 1888, 1890 and 1892.

Later political career

President of the Junta

A member of the Civilista Party, Candamo served as mayor of Lima. After Andrés Avelino Cáceres was forced to resign from the Presidency in 1894, Candamo was selected to head a "Provisional Government Junta" and to call for new elections. Nicolás de Piérola, allied with the Civilista Party, won the election.

President of the Senate

During the administion of Eduardo López de Romaña, he was elected President of the Peruvian Senate. This was done after the Civilista and Democratic parties reached a compromise and divided their political influence in the government.

For the Election of 1903, Cándamo was regarded as a moderate candidate and the more trusted political figure in the Civilista Party. After being elected President, Cándamo became ill and died in office. He was married to Teresa Alvarez-Calderón.

Following a brief interim government headed by Serapio Calderón, Cándamo was succeeded by his foreign minister José Pardo.

Personal life

Manuel Candamo married Teresa Alvarez-Calderón, and had two daughters. One of them, Teresa De La Cruz, founded the convent Canonesas de La Cruz, and was given the title of Servant of God in 1981 by the Catholic Church, which means her life is being studied in order to eventually grant her the title of Saint.

References

1. ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=XbGIbr2B1v4C&pg=PA69&dq=Manuel+Candamo&lr=&ei=o2n4SdbiMoqGNtK7tMwD

Political offices
Preceded by Andrés Avelino Cáceres	Interim President of Peru 1895	Succeeded by Nicolás de Piérola
Preceded by Eduardo López de Romaña	President of Peru 1903 – 1904	Succeeded by Serapio Calderón

Persondata
Name	Candamo, Manuel
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	July 14, 1841
Place of birth	Lima, Peru
Date of death	May 7, 1903
Place of death	Arequipa, Peru