Manuel Antonio Matos Páez Tinoco (8 January 1847 – 5 December 1929) was a

Venezuelan Venezuelans (Spanish language, Spanish: ''venezolanos'') are the Citizenship, citizens identified with the country of Venezuela. This connection may be through citizenship, descent or cultural. For most Venezuelans, many or all of these connect ...

politician, banker,

military leader Military ranks is a system of hierarchical relationships within armed forces, police, intelligence agencies, paramilitary groups, and other institutions organized along military lines, such as youth groups, chivalric orders, religious orders, an ...

and diplomat.

Biography

Matos held a great political and economic influence on the country, during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, having an extraordinary prestige and power in the banking and business fields. In addition to having various investments and influence over foreign and transnational companies operating in Venezuela, held a variety of positions in banking and disposing of what is estimated to be the greatest fortune in the

history of Venezuela The history of Venezuela reflects events in areas of the Americas colonized by Spain starting 1502; amid resistance from indigenous peoples, led by Native caciques, such as Guaicaipuro and Tamanaco. However, in the Andean region of western Ve ...

and of Latin America.Banko, Catalina (2002) ''"Manuel Antonio Matos". Biblioteca Biográfica Venezolana''. Editorial El Nacional. Caracas, Venezuela.Amaro Arias, Alberto 2000:''Historia de la República Bolivariana de Venezuela'' A major figure of the political current denominated ''Liberalismo Amarillo'', he served three times as

Minister of Finance A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position . A ministry of finance's portfolio ...

(1892, 1895 and 1898), besides being the most powerful promoter of mixed and public banking institutions, conformed to become the arms of investment and financial management of the Treasury of the Republic and the Venezuelan private sector, such as ''The Caracas Credit Corporation, The Caracas Credit Company, The First Bank of Caracas, The Second Bank of Caracas, The Third Bank of Caracas'' and ''The Bank of Venezuela'', all financial entities of a core nature for the country that were driven and directed by Matos. He was the leader of the Revolución Libertadora, a major military movement that took place between 1901 and 1903, with the intention to overthrow Cipriano Castro's government.Liway Rodriguez, Gilberto 2000: ''Nueva Historia de Venezuela'' Major disagreements between president

Cipriano Castro José Cipriano Castro Ruiz (12 October 1858 – 4 December 1924) was a Venezuelan politician and Officer (armed forces), officer of the National Bolivarian Armed Forces of Venezuela, military who served as president of Venezuela, president from ...

and the economic elite evolved into an open war that shook the country and brought the government to the brink of collapse, but after the revolution's defeat suffered in the Siege of La Victoria in November of 1902, the vast network of armies and its extraordinary power was weakened, being a wound that could not be recovered. A few days after, in the midst of this civil war, Germany, the United Kingdom and later Italy instituted what came to be known as the naval blockade of Venezuela in order to force the government to honor its foreign debts. The claims and counter-claims stemming from the conflict would eventually force the three foreign countries to sever diplomatic relations in the ensuing years. The rest of the Revolutionary Army finally was defeated in the battle of Ciudad Bolivar, at which in March of 1903 Matos decides to leave

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

, establishing himself in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. However, his power and political preeminence reemerged with the arrival of the dictatorship of

Juan Vicente Gómez Juan Vicente Gómez Chacón (24 July 1857 – 17 December 1935) was a Venezuelan military general, politician and '' de facto'' ruler of Venezuela from 1908 until his death in 1935. He only officially served as president on three occasions d ...

in 1908, under whose government he served as

Minister of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and foreign relations, relations, diplomacy, bilateralism, ...

, taking on the responsibility of organizing the ''"Centennial of the Independence of Venezuela"'' in 1911 and directing a strong diplomatic attempt to consolidate relations between

and the United States, receiving an official visit of the

Secretary of State of the United States A secretary, administrative assistant, executive assistant, personal secretary, or other similar titles is an individual whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, program evalu ...

, Philander C. Knox, with whom he signed numerous bilateral agreements and treaties within the framework of the so-called Dollar Diplomacy sponsored by the President

William Howard Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) served as the 27th president of the United States from 1909 to 1913 and the tenth chief justice of the United States from 1921 to 1930. He is the only person to have held both offices. ...

. After his departure from the presidential cabinet in 1913, Matos continued to dedicate himself to the formation of a solid banking and financial structure for Venezuela, retiring from public life in 1920 and settling in Paris, where he died nine years later.

Notes and references

External links

* http://www.efemeridesvenezolanas.com/html/revolucion.htm * https://web.archive.org/web/20120523135432/http://rena.edu.ve/cuartaEtapa/historia/tema2.html * http://www.comdinero.com/articulistas/827/manuel-antonio-matos-y-el-poder-de-un-banquero-hasta-chavez/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Matos, Manuel 1847 births 1929 deaths Venezuelan bankers Juan Vicente Gómez ministers Finance ministers of Venezuela Venezuelan diplomats