José Joaquín Prieto

Infobox_President | name=José Joaquín Prieto


order=President of Chile
term_start=April 10, 1831
term_end=September 18, 1831
predecessor=Fernando Errázuriz
successor="Himself"
order2=4th President of Chile
term_start2=September 18, 1831
term_end2=September 18, 1841
predecessor2="Himself"
successor2=Manuel Bulnes
birth_date=birth date|1786|8|20|df=y
birth_place=Concepción, Chile
death_date=death date and age|1854|11|22|1786|8|20|mf=y
death_place=Santiago, Chile
spouse=Manuela Warnes
party=Conservative
vicepresident2=Joaquín Tocornal

José Joaquín Prieto Vial (August 20, 1786 - November 22, 1854) was a Chilean military and political figure. He was twice President of Chile between 1831 and 1841.

Early life

Prieto was one of five sons of a Creole officer in Concepción. After finishing school, he joined the cavalry garrison in his home town. In 1810, he joined the Chilean fight for independence against his father's will. He met Manuela Warnes García de Zúñiga in Buenos Aires and married her in 1812. During the Chilean War of Independence, he served as a captain. In the dispute between Bernardo O'Higgins and José Miguel Carrera, he took the side of O'Higgins, who then made him Quartermaster general of the southern army.

After the defeat in the Battle of Rancagua, which he wasn't a part of, Prieto fled to Mendoza, Argentina to build up the Liberation Army of the Andes. After the victory of the Chileans in the battle of Chacabuco in 1817, in which he also wasn't involved, he was appointed commanding general of Santiago, where he dealt with defense strategies and ballistic matters. Then, he turned his attention to Peru, in order to support its fight for independence.

His military accomplishements - especially in the south of the country - earned the respect of conservative-centralist circles, that encouraged him to start a political career. He did so in 1823; in this year he was elected into the Chilean House of Deputies and appointed into State council. In this position, he advocated a strong and influential central government and fought the federalist independence ambitions of the regionalists. In 1828, he was elected vice-president of Chile.

Political career and Civil War of 1829

Prieto's military career continued to progress. In 1828, he was promoted to general and commander of the army in the south. In 1829 presidential elections, neither he nor his liberal-federalist opponent Joaquín Vicuña received an absolute majority. The liberal majority in Congress nominated Francisco Ramón Vicuña, president of the senate, as vice-president. The conservatives considered this move to be unconstitutional and started a civil war.

As commander of the southern army, Prieto marched onto Santiago. On December 14, 1829, he and his troops met the liberal army under Francisco de la Lastra and defeated them at the Battle of Ochagavía. Then, in 1830, an agreement was finally found after the defeat of Ramón Freire at the Battle of Lircay.

Administration

After the transitional president José Tomás Ovalle died, Fernando Errázuriz became "Provisional President" from March 8th to March 31st, 1831, rapidly replaced by Prieto himself on April 10th. On September 18, 1831, Prieto was finally able to take over the job as elected President for a first term of five years.

His main focus on first taking power was to restore law and order; for that he relied on Diego Portales, who continue to be the almost universal minister and provided the necessary political stability for the country to recover from the decade of anarchy. He also instructed Manuel Bulnes to seize the bandits commanded by the brothers Pablo and José Antonio Pincheira who made the area around Concepción unsafe. On May 25, 1833 a new constitution was passed, which - with a few amendments - would be valid until 1925. It provided for a 5-year long term of office for the president, who could be re-elected only once. The president received much authority.

During his 10-year long presidency, Prieto expanded the governmental power and laid the foundation for a public administration in Chile. The first educational establishments like the "Instituto Nacional" were founded and in 1837 the ministries for justice and public education were created. Prieto's foreign policy was dominated by Chile's war with Peru between 1836 and 1839. The Chilean army under Manuel Blanco Encalada suffered heavy losses, which climaxed in the Treaty of Paucarpata, following which Manuel Bulnes took over the commanding power of the army and led it into the victorious Battle of Yungay.

Cabinet

Infobox Chile Cabinet Historical
align=Center
Name=Prieto
President=José Joaquín Prieto
President start=10 April 1831
President end=18 September 1841
Interior Foreign Affairs=Diego Portales
Interior Foreign Affairs start=5 April 1830
Interior Foreign Affairs end=31 August 1831
Interior Foreign Affairs 2=Ramón Errázuriz
Interior Foreign Affairs start 2=31 August 1831
Interior Foreign Affairs end 2=17 May 1832
Interior Foreign Affairs 3=Joaquín Tocornal
Interior Foreign Affairs start 3=17 May 1832
Interior Foreign Affairs end 3=25 July 1840
Interior Foreign Affairs 4=Manuel Montt
Interior Foreign Affairs start 4=25 July 1840
Interior Foreign Affairs end 4=27 March 1841
Interior Foreign Affairs 5=José Miguel Yrarrázabal
Interior Foreign Affairs start 5=27 March 1841
Interior Foreign Affairs end 5=19 May 1841
Interior Foreign Affairs 6=Ramón Luis Yrarrázabal
Interior Foreign Affairs start 6=19 May 1841
Interior Foreign Affairs end 6=10 April 1845
War Navy=Diego Portales
War Navy start=24 March 1831
War Navy end=31 August 1831
War=Bartolomé Mujica
War start=31 August 1831
War end=19 September 1831
Navy=Manuel José Calderón
Navy start=31 August 1831
Navy end=19 September 1831
War Navy 2=Diego Portales
War Navy start 2=19 September 1831
War Navy end 2=4 December 1832
War Navy 3=Ramón de la Cavareda
War Navy start 3=4 December 1832
War Navy end 3=21 April 1835
War Navy 4=Diego Portales
War Navy start 4=21 April 1835
War Navy end 4=7 June 1836
War Navy 5=Ramón de la Cavareda
War Navy start 5=7 June 1836
War Navy end 5=27 March 1841
War Navy 6=Manuel Montt
War Navy start 6=27 March 1841
War Navy end 6=18 September 1841
Finance=Manuel Rengifo
Finance start=15 June 1830
Finance end=9 November 1835
Finance 2=Joaquín Tocornal
Finance start 2=9 November 1835
Finance end 2=14 April 1841
Finance 2=Rafael Correa de Saa
Finance start 2=14 April 1841
Finance end 2=18 September 1841
Justice Clergy Instruction=Mariano Egaña
Justice Clergy Instruction start=26 June 1837
Justice Clergy Instruction end=27 March 1841
Justice Clergy Instruction 2=Manuel Montt
Justice Clergy Instruction start 2=27 March 1841
Justice Clergy Instruction end 2=18 September 1841

Later life

In 1841, the victorious hero Bulnes was elected as the successor of Prieto. After his resignation Prieto served as Senator until 1852 and even took over the command of the infantry and the navy of Valparaíso until 1846. In 1846, he moved to Santiago de Chile, where he died on November 22, 1854 at the age of 68.

References

*German|José Joaquín Prieto Vial|July 2, 2006
* [http://www.ejercito.cl/nuestro_ejercito/com-jef_1830.php Official biography] (in Spanish)