Carlos Eugenio Restrepo

Infobox President
name = Carlos Eugenio Restrepo Restrepo


order = 12th
office = President of Colombia
term_start = August 7, 1910
term_end = August 7, 1914
order2 = 36th Minister of Government
term_start2 = August 7, 1930
term_end2 = July 28, 1931
predecessor2 = Alejandro Cabal Pombo
successor2 = Agustin Morales Olaya
predecessor = Ramón Gonzalez Valencia
successor = José Vicente Concha
ambassador_from3 = Colombia
country3 = Holy See
birth_date = September 12, 1867
birth_place = Medellín, Antioquia
death_date = July 6, 1937
death_place = Medellín, Antioquia
nationality = Colombian
party = Conservative
spouse = Isabel Gaviria Duque
alma_mater = Seminario Conciliar de Medellín
occupation = Lawyer, Author, Journalist, Educator (Professor)
religion = Roman Catholic

Carlos Eugenio Restrepo Restrepo (September 12, 1867 – July 6, 1937) was a Colombian lawyer, writer, and statesman, who was elected President of Colombia in 1910. During his administration he worked towards making political reconciliation among the Conservative and Liberals. He appointed members of the Liberal Party to his Cabinet, and to the dismay of some of his own party, adopted a neutral stand on all issues. He earned the nickname "Monsieur Veto" for vetoing many bills he considered were not in the best interest of the Nation. He later served as Minister of the Interior and Justice and Ambassador to the Holy See.

Early life

Family

Carlos Eugenio Restrepo Restrepo was born in the home of Cruzana Restrepo Jaramillo and Pedro Antonio Restrepo, a lawyer and nephew of José Félix de Restrepo. His father was the founder of the Municipality of Andes, [ Departamental Assembly of Antioquia, History [http://www.asambleadeantioquia.gov.co/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=22&Itemid=56] ] in the south of Antioquia. He had two brothers, Nicanor, a merchant who served as president of the Departamental Assembly of Antioquia in 1924, [Idem] and Juan María, a distinguished theologian at the service of the Holy See.

Carlos E. Restrepo married to Isabel Gaviria Duque on April 16, 1890. [First Ladies of Colombia [http://lablaa.org/blaavirtual/revistas/credencial/agosto1996/agosto2.htm ] ] Together they nine children, Tulia, Carlos, Ignacio, Sofía, Margarita, Ana, Adolfo, Isabel and Vicente.

Education

Carlos Restrepo went to school in Itagüí, and Medellín; he later attended the Institute of Higher Learning in what is now the "Seminario Conciliar de Medellín". ["Guia Ilustrada de Medellín" [http://biblioteca-virtual-antioquia.udea.edu.co/pdf/14/14_1542012259.pdf] ] He studied Law, but had to suspend his studies at the age of 18, because of the raging . He was forced to teach himself the basics while also practicing in the law firm of his father and his business partner, Alejandro Botero Uribe, who would later become Minister of Interior and Justice in 1909. [Ministers under the Presidency of Ramón González Valencia [http://www.lablaa.org/blaavirtual/todaslasartes/obrames/ministros/ministros6.htm#1] ]

Career

Law

Carlos Restrepo quickly became an avid and respected lawyer moving up in different ranks. He worked as a Public Inspector of Education in 1888. He then became a prosecutor in the Supreme Court of Antioquia, a Judge of the lower circuit of Antioquia, and finally the Attorney General for the Department of Antioquia in 1898.

He later became a professor in the Law Department of the University of Antioquia, and also became the University’s Rector. He also participated in various charities, he helped established the Colombian Red Cross in Medellín, became president of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul in Colombia, and founded the "Society for the Improvement of Public Works" in Medellín in 1901. [Biblioteca Virtual de Antioquia [http://biblioteca-virtual-antioquia.udea.edu.co/authors.php?code_author=105&&author_full_name=Carlos%20E.%20Restrepo] ]

Politics

Carlos Restrepo was a member of the Colombian Conservative Party, he sided with the party when he volunteered to fight in the Thousand Days War, where he served under the command of General Pedro Nel Ospina. [Colombian Airforce Website [http://www.fac.mil.co/index.php?idcategoria=21893&facmil_2007=3d6c56c687b09f046f46aa0a7ebd0255] ] He was elected to the House of Representatives of Colombia in 1909.. In March 13, 1909 he founded the "Unión Republicana" or Republican Union, a political party that emphasized political reconciliation, Republican values, modernization, and National identity. He took his Republican ideas from the French writer and critic Émile Faguet, ["Orientación Republicana" By Carlos Eugenio Restrepo (1917)] of who he would later write a biography of. This political movement had the support of prominent members of both Conservatives and Liberals like, José Vicente Concha, Pedro Nel Ospina and Miguel Abadía, from the Colombian Conservative Party and Nicolás Esguerra, Benjamín Herrera and Enrique Olaya from the Colombian Liberal Party. [Website of the Presidency of Colombia [http://www.presidencia.gov.co/prensa_new/historia/2.htm] ]

Writing and journalism

Carlos Restrepo was also involved in journalism and he collaborated in many magazines and newspapers of the Antioquia at the time, like "Montañés" (1899), "La Miscelánea" (1888, 1905), "Lectura y Arte" (1903) and "Alpha" (1906, 1907, 1908, 1910), with articles of political, literary, and religious subjects, and also helped with some translations. He worked as the editor in chief of "El Correo de Antioquia", where he created a contest to help give music to the . [COMFAMA, frequently asked questions [http://www.comfama.com/biblioteca/resultados.asp?cat=101] ] He also founded "La República" in 1891, and the

He worked in poetry and wrote an extensive number of essays and letters [Correspondencia Enviada por Carlos E. Restrepo a Marco Tobón Mejía [http://biblioteca-virtual-antioquia.udea.edu.co/pdf/34/34_1643424288.pdf] ] to friends and family due to the lack of local newspapers to express his opinions. Some of his works are:

*"A mi hija Tulia" (1893)
*"Defensa en verso, de la mujer antioqueña" (1894) (Under the pseudonym W. Ll. de Ch.)
*"Los versos de Enrique W. Fernández" (1896)
*"Un héroe oscuro" (1903)
*"Risa trágica" (1905)
*"El saltimbanqui, el primero de los personajes colombianos" (1906)
*"Emilio Faguet" (1916),
*"Lo que enseña la vida maravillosa de Pasteur" (1916)
*"M. Tobón Mejía: un hombre y un artista" (1917)
*"Orientación Republicana" (1917) (1930)
*"Los neófitos" (1917)
*"Gregorio Gutiérrez González: la simbiosis del poeta y la tierra" (1926)
*"Pedro Justo Berrío, o el sentir común, la probidad y el carácter" (1927)

Elections of 1910

Initially, Restrepo refused to run for the presidential candidature, and he did not have the support from the rest of the Representatives of Antioquia for his solid stand on Republicanism. However, there were a growing number of members who gave their support to Carlos Restrepo for fear of war against Peru, for his solid law background, and for his eloquence as an orator. There was also a need for new figures to take the lead, especially representatives from Antioquia, who had been left out of the presidential rotation. For all of these reasons, Restrepo was quickly included as a Presidential Candidate in the National Assembly of 1910, along with Guillermo Quintero Calderón, and José Vicente Concha.

On July 15, 1910 The National Assembly elected the 42 year old Carlos Restrepo to assume the Presidency of Colombia. Restrepo had won the election with 23 votes in his favor against 18 votes for his contender José Vicente Concha. He became the first Antioquian to be elected to preside over the country. His victory was a surprise to many who considered him just a journalist, and more surprisingly yet, was his victory on both sides of the aisle winning the majority on both parties.

Restrepo was elected with no Vice President as the National Assembly that had convened that summer had replaced the Vice Presidential post with that of a "Designado", someone with no executive office or powers, who would, in the case of the President’s death or inability to assume power, would then assume the presidency.

On August 7, 1910, Carlos Restrepo became the 12th President of Colombia succeeding the incumbent Ramón González Valencia, for the term 1910-1914.

Presidency 1910-1914

Domestic policy

During his presidency, Carlos Restrepo was known as "Monsieur Veto" ["La Republica Conservadora" By Alberto Abello [http://www.lablaa.org/blaavirtual/revistas/credencial/febrero2005/republica.htm] ] [Hechos y comentarios: NOVA ET VETERA By Eduardo Rodríguez Piñeres] for his common practice of vetoing any bill he deemed not in favor of the Nation. Some of the policies that took place during Restrepo’s mandate were the abolition of the Capital Punishment, the annual meeting of Congress, the installment of life pensions for retired teachers, and the constructions of various hospitals in the Caribbean Region to combat tropical diseases.

Restrepo received the country with grave fiscal problems. There was a deficit of COP$3.5 Millions to COP$4 Million. The new president forced the collection in taxes and reduced government spending, achieving to end the deficit in less than a year, by 1911 there was a Biography of Restreposurplus. [Biblioteca Luis Ángel Arango [http://www.lablaa.org/blaavirtual/biografias/restcarl.htm] ] The Economy of Colombia was improved with the raise of taxes and the raise in the price and exports of coffee. ["Un siglo de conflictos, conjuras y escándalos" [www.viva.org.co/herramientas/Herra067.pdf] ]

The administration prohibited the new emission of banknotes, and he reinstated the Gold and Silver standard. [LA CONVERSION DEL PAPEL MONEDA(1906 - 1922) [http://www.lablaa.org/blaavirtual/historia/him/him11.htm] ]

He reformed the Colombian National Police, introducing the Fingerprinting system, the creation of the first Judicial Body of the National Police, the first training academy, the Police marching band, and the official magazine of the National Police. He also helped stablish a financial aids program for the families of fallen police officers. [Policia Nacional de Colombia [http://www.policia.gov.co/inicio/portal/unidades/seres.nsf/paginas/CarlosEugenioRestrepo] ]

Creation of new territorial administrations

To address the growing concern of Colombia in relation to its borders, and with the help of the National Census of 1812, the Colombian government created the "Intendencia" of San Andres y Providencia [Ley Nº 62 del 26 de octubre de 1912 [http://lablaa.org/blaavirtual/revistas/credencial/diciembre1992/diciembre2.htm] ] and the "Comisarías" of Caquetá, [Decreto Nº 642 del 17 de junio de 1912 [http://www.unal.edu.co/siamac/sig/toponimo1.html] ] and Vichada [ Decreto Nº 523 del 3 de junio de 1913, Ibid] to reinstate Colombia's claim on these territories from the UPCA, Peru, and Venezuela respectively. These territories were later made into Departments following the Constitutional changes of 1991.

Foreign policy

Colombia’s Foreign relations during the administration of Carlos E. Restrepo were marked by the continued threat of a Peruvian invasion into Colombian territory, and continued resentment towards the United States for its involvement in Panama. Restrepo, conscious of Colombia's weak military power towards these aggressors, tried to solve matters diplomatically.

President Restrepo had four Ministers of Foreign Affairs during his presidency, they were in order, Enrique Olaya, José María González Valencia, Pedro Maria Carreño, and Francisco José Urrutia [ Ministers under the presidency of Carlos Eugenio Restrepo [http://www.lablaa.org/blaavirtual/todaslasartes/obrames/ministros/ministros7.htm] ] [Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores [http://www.cancilleria.gov.co/wps/portal/!ut/p/.cmd/cs/.ce/7_0_A/.s/7_0_1RO/_th/J_0_S6/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1R1/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1RO] ] .

Relations with Peru

The foreign relations of Colombia with Peru were of growing concern for many Colombians and the government. The Colombian Jungles of Putumayo and Caquetá, in the south of Colombia became the centre of conflict and debate during the administration of Restrepo. The borders with Peru were not clearly marked, and this became a problem during the first half of the century. The Casa Arana, a Peruvian based Rubber Company, had expanded into Colombian territory, and was exploiting its resources and oppressing the Indigenous people of this region. The situation became national news when reported killings of natives was reported to have been committed by Casa Arana, and on July 1911, Peruvian forces attacked the military base stationed in La Pedrera.

The growing pressure of Congress and the public to go to war was met with some stiff opposition. Colombia had just recovered from the Thousand Days War, and did not wished to be involved in another conflict, nor it had the resources to do so. Restrepo, was opposed to armed conflict, and wished to resolve matters diplomatically. Colombia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs at the time, Enrique Olaya, who had the total support of the president, handled the matter with a hand great efficacy. On July 15, 1911, Olaya Herrera, and its Peruvian counterpart, Ernesto de Tezanos Pinto, signed a Modus vivendi agreement. ["Conflictos internacionales: el Perú contra Colombia, Ecuador y Chile" By Juan Ignacio Gálvez]

This alone would not have ended the conflict, if it were not because there was a beriberi and yellow fever outbreak within the Peruvian army in the area, causing a great number of casualties. ["Las guerras con el Perú" By Credencial Historia [http://www.lablaa.org/blaavirtual/revistas/credencial/noviembre2005/guerras_peru.htm Biblioteca Luis Ángel Arango ] at www.lablaa.org] For now the conflict was resolved, but it would again surface in 1934 with the Colombia-Peru War .

Relations with the United States and Panama

The Foreign relations of Colombia with the United States and Panama during the presidency of Carlos Restrepo were marked by Colombia’s continued resentment towards the United States for its participation in the Separation of Panama from Colombia and its continued involvement in Latin America. Restrepo was also critical of the United States involvement in the Mexican Revolution, which he considered as a “"violation of the rights of and an attack on international justice"”. ["Problems in Pan Americanism" By Samuel Guy Inman [http://books.google.com/books?id=hBfjRhMoL1QC&pg=PA340&dq=%22Carlos+E.+Restrepo%22&as_brr=1&output=html] ]

On April 6, 1914, under the administrations of presidents Carlos Restrepo and Woodrow Wilson, and after months of negotiations, the representative of the United States Ambassador to Colombia Thaddeus Austin Thompson, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs Francisco José Urrutia, singed the Thomson-Urrutia Treaty, where Colombia recognized Panama’s independence, and received free access to the Panama Canal, and the United States offered an official apology for its involvement in the separation, and offered to pay $25 million dollars as compensation to the Colombian government. This was a great win for the Colombian government as it resolved the conflict with Panama and mended the ties with its neighbors. This treaty was controversial in the United States as many regarded it as an unjust condemnation of president Theodore Roosevelt’s policies.

Post-presidency

Restrepo’s presidential term ended on August 7, 1914, he was succeeded by José Vicente Concha, whom he had defeated in the previous election. His political party, Unión Republicana ceased to exist, with his former members quickly returning to party lines after his presidency. After leaving the presidency, he relocated to Medellín, and returned to his writings and business.

He returned to politics in 1930, when he backed the nomination of his political friend, Enrique Olaya, as he presented a political plan that seemed to reflect the values of Republicanism. President Olaya elected him to serve in his cabinet as Minister of Government, [Ministers under the presidency of Enrique Olaya Herrera [http://www.lablaa.org/blaavirtual/todaslasartes/obrames/ministros/ministros13.htm] ] post he took on August 7, 1930 when Olaya Herrera assumed the presidency.

He was later appointed Minister Plenipotentiary to the Holy See. [ "Colombia Constitucional" By Miguel Moreno Jaramillo]

Death and legacy

Carlos Eugenio Restrepo died on July 7, 1937, in his home in his natal city of Medellín at the age of 69 following an attack of pneumonia.

His ideals of political reconciliation and his efforts to breach the gap between partisan lines was his greatest legacy. The presidency of Enrique Olaya, Restrepo’s closest pupil of republicanism, was the end of the Conservative control of government.

During his time he was regarded as one of the most progressive and modern South American statesmen and a lawyer with wide experience and author of high reputation. ["The American Review of Reviews", Edited by Albert Shaw [http://books.google.com/books?id=kcQBAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA413&dq=%22Carlos+E.+Restrepo%22&as_brr=1#PPA413,M1] ]

ee also

* Enrique Olaya Herrera
* José Vicente Concha
* Separation of Panama from Colombia

References