Joaquín Riascos

Infobox Officeholder | name =Joaquín Riascos


order =President of the United States of Colombia*
term_start =May 12, 1867
term_end =June 28, 1867
predecessor =Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera
successor =Santos Acosta
birth_date =November 19, 1833
birth_place =flagicon|Panama La Chorrera, Panamá, Panamá
death_date =August 8, 1875
death_place =flagicon|Colombia San Juan del Cesar, La Guajira, Colombia
party =Liberal
spouse =Concepción Jimeno Munive
religion =Roman Catholic
footnotes =*Acting in rebellion.

Manuel Joaquín de Santa Isabel Riascos García (November 19, 1833 – August 8, 1875) was a neogranadine Military man and Panamanian statesman. During his first childhood, Joaquín Riascos was later transferred with his family first at Cartagena and Santa Marta. Of honorable spirit and strong and independent character, its life passed in Santa Marta and Villa of the Bog, between agricultural and commercial workings. His nephew and biographer, the father Pedro Maria Revollo relates: “Young he contracted marriage with Doña Concepción Jimeno, daughter of Don Jose Jimeno and Doña Catherine Munive, appreciable lady of the best more appreciable society but by the moral qualities that made amiable and strong a woman, in the elevated sense of the Sagrada Scripture. She was his cooperator in the work, thus could conserve a good agricultural property acquired by his husband in company of the older brother of this one, Lazaro Maria Riascos. In the 1860 revolution he did his first arms with colonel González, soon took part in the famous combat in which he besieged himself, during 21 days, to Santa Marta - November to December 1861-. A1 to finish the story of this long combat, adds the Alarcón historian these words: “Soon one began to feel in Santa Marta the development and frequency of a shameless and scandalous crime: the peculado one. That mounted in rage to colonel Riascos, whose honesty was its greater timbre, and without requesting order to anybody it put a guard in the Customs illicitly so that they did not leave merchandise subrepticia or”. After this victorious campaign, it was promoted general; if lucky it was in her, was not it in the following one, on the State of Antioch, in which it took part like head from a brigade composed of three battalions. Disastrous result was the one of this campaign, because the liberal army was defeated in Santo Domingo, by the conservative, commanded by general Braulio Henao -14 of January 1862-. Riascos be taken was and supported eleven months of prison in Medellín. The series of revolutions in the States began then, that whipped year after year to the country, and which they gave to the time that the sobrename of the “organized anarchy”. Thus it was as general Riascos were at the top of an army in 1864, to support the honest people and of it was worth, who solved to contain the excesses and crimes of the government of the State of the Magdalena and to demolish to her general president Jose Maria Louis Herrera. Hombría finished to its campaign with a characteristic of his, its loosening and its pundonor, that enalteció: the 9 of December, from the Valley of Upar, sent to the provisional president of the State of the Magdalena, Joaquin M. Vengoechea, his resignation of the control of the forces and returned calm to their home, without the reato of some crime that committed or allowed to commit its troops. That was its character, was his honors”. Deputy and president of the State of Magdalena, senator and representative in several occasions, the 24 of April 1867 general Riascos were in charge of the presidency of the State of Magdalena, to the time that evolved like third designated to the Presidency of the Republic. Five days later, the 29 of April, general Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera decreed the dissolution of the National Congress and he was declared in supreme exercise of the authority. “This news - Ignacio Arizmendi Posada says, in Presidents of Colombia she arrives at Santa Marta days later, and when knowing it general Riascos, without greater details, does not know the decision taken by Mosquera and he is elevated in provisional president, to the light of his designated condition of third, the 12 of May. Yet, the 23 of he himself month general Santos Acosta assumes the control of the Nation, designated second, in absence of first, Santos Gutiérrez, but Riascos - by the own difficulties of communication of the time he continues like provisional agent chief executive when not finding out the blow against Mosquera directed by Acosta. It knows of he himself in June, and the 28 of this month it stops in the possession of the executive functions when recognizing in Santos Acosta the legitimate agent chief executive. Soon, within the antimosquerista celebration that followed in the country, the Congress of the Republic recognizes like constitutionalists the 47 days in which Riascos considered president. Law 15 of 1868 therefore arranged it, thus can affirm that during 36 days there were two constitutional presidents in the country, Riascos and Santos Acosta, unique case in our history”. When its period like president of the State of Magdalena finished, in 1867, general Riascos retired to Bog and he was dedicated to his particular businesses. “In the ominous year of 1875 - his biographer, Revollo- father says in the middle of a great political storm, was in charge once again of the presidency of the designated Magdalena like first; he called then to the authorities of province and the friends, the union; but this call badly was interpreted and was vain”. General Riascos died violently in the combat of San Juan of Cesar, the 8 of August 1875, defending las aspiraciones presidenciales de su jefe, Rafael Núñez, contra el gobierno de Santiago Pérez.

References

*es icon [http://www.lablaa.org/blaavirtual/biografias/riasjoaq.htm Luis Angel Arango Library; Manuel Joaquín de Santa Isabel Riascos García]