José Miguel Pey de Andrade

Infobox President | name =José Miguel Pey


caption ="First President of Colombia"
office =Vice President of the Supreme Governing Junta
term_start = July 20, 1810
term_end = July 25, 1810
president =Antonio José Amar y Borbón
office2 =President of the Supreme Governing Junta
term_start2 =July 25, 1810
term_end2 =April 1 1811
predecessor2 =Antonio José Amar y Borbón
successor2 =Jorge Tadeo Lozano
office3 =President of of the United Provinces of the New Granada*
term_start3 =March 28, 1815
term_end3 =July 28, 1815
predecessor3 =Triumvirate
José María del Castillo y Rada,
José Fernández Madrid,

Joaquín Camacho"'

successor3 =Camilo Torres Tenorio
order4 =Member of the Executive Presidium of the Republic of Colombia•
term_start4 =April 30, 1831
term_end4 =May 5, 1831
predecessor4 =Rafael Urdaneta
successor4 =Domingo Caycedo
birth_date =March 11, 1763
birth_place =Bogotá, Cundinamarca
death_date =August 17, 1838
death_place =Bogotá, Cundinamarca
party =Centralist
spouse =Juana Hipólita Bastidas
religion =Roman Catholic
footnotes =*President of the three-member governing Triumvirate.•Member of the Executive Presidium of the Greater Colombia.

José Miguel Pey y García de Andrade (March 11, 1763 - August 17, 1838) was a Colombian 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 (not a federalist).

Background

José Miguel Pey, a Criollo, 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", or judge, of the "Audiencia" of Santa Fe de Bogotá, one of the most important positions at the time. José Miguel 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 named "alcalde" (mayor) of Bogotá, replacing José Antonio de Ugarte in 1810. [ [http://www.bogota-dc.com/varios/1800.htm Mayors of Bogotá] ] During this time, various independence riots had broken out around the viceroyalty, and were starting to be felt in the capital.

Vice Presidency

Pey was mayor of Bogotá at the time of the Cry of Independence, also known as the "Florero de Llorente" (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 mayor, tried to calm the populace. He proposed protective custody for Llorente, but by doing so he confirmed his culpability and thus fueled the insurgency.

That same day a "Cabildo Abierto" was established to decide the future of the city. The Cabildo was formed by members of the criollan oligarchy, both Revolutionaries and Royalists. The Cabildo opted to create a "Junta Suprema" or 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. [ [http://www.armada.mil.co/index.php?idcategoria=264636& Armed Forces of Colombia, events in history] ] 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.

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 being loyal to the Spanish Crown but in favor of independence. He was in a difficult situation mediating between the moderate and radical factions in the Junta and in the city. He was forced 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, and soon had the viceroy moved secretly out of Bogotá to Cartagena de Indias, where he could escape to Havana. [ [http://www.lablaa.org/blaavirtual/biografias/peyjosem.htm Biography of José Miguel Pey] ]

After the Constitution of Cundinamarca was drafted, other provinces of New Granada joined in. On April 1, 1811 José Miguel Pey was succeeded by Jorge Tadeo Lozano who became president of the United Provinces of the New Granada.

On December 20, 1814, Pey was named governor of the province of Cundinamarca, which had just joined the United Provinces of New Granada on December 12, 1814 and was now occupied by Simon Bolívar and under federal control.

Triumvirate

On March 28, 1815, an Executive Triumvirate 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, [ [http://www.lablaa.org/blaavirtual/biografias/restmanu.htm Biography of José Manuel Restrepo] ] 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 Rafael Urdaneta, Congress created a three-member "Ejecutivo Plural", or Presidium, that delegated the powers of the presidency to Juan García del Río, [ [http://www.lablaa.org/blaavirtual/biografias/garcjuan.htm Biography of Juan García del Río] ] Jerónimo Gutiérrez de Mendoza [ [http://www.lablaa.org/blaavirtual/biografias/mendjero.htm Biography of Jerónimo Guitiérrez 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.

José Miguel Pey was married to Juana Hipólita Bastidas. He died on August 17, 1838 at the age of 75 in Bogotá.

ee also

* Antonio José Amar y Borbón
* John Hanson

References