Guillermo Tell Villegas
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Guillermo Tell Villegas (1 January 1823 in
Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...
,
Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
– 21 March 1907 in Valencia) was a
Venezuelan Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
politician, lawyer, and writer. Among other government positions, he served as interim
president of Venezuela The president of Venezuela ( es, Presidente de Venezuela), officially known as the President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, Presidente de la República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is the head of state and head of government in Ven ...
in 1868, 1870 and 1892. Starting his career in law, he became governor of Barinas in 1859 and afterwards held various roles in the government of
Juan Crisostomo Falcon ''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of ''John''. It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking communities around the world and in the Philippines, and also (pronounced differently) in the Isle of Man. In Spanish, t ...
, including deputy in the Assembly of Victory,
Minister of Interior and Justice Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...
, and interim Foreign Minister of Venezuela. In 1864 and in 1866 was appointed to the Federal High Court. Villegas participated in the La Genuina revolution in 1867, and was elected president of the
Chamber of Deputies The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourbon R ...
in 1868, where he openly opposed the government of Falcón. The Blue Revolution in 1868 removed Falcon from power, and Villegas became Foreign Minister under President
José Ruperto Monagas José Ruperto Monagas (1831 – 12 June 1880) was a Venezuelan Militant and Politician, son of José Tadeo Monagas and Luisa Oriach. He was the president of Venezuela between 1869–1870 because he won the presidential elections in the period of ...
. In 1868 Villegas spent eight months as interim president of Venezuela, during which time he reinstated the Federal Constitution from 1864. After again serving as interim president and Minister of the Interior in 1969, in 1870 he was interim president a third time while Monagas fought the Liberal Revolution. The revolution was successful, and Villegas retired from active politics after ceding the presidency. Villegas went into education after his retirement, and in 1876 he founded the school La Paz. He published several reports and educational textbooks in the 1880s, and in 1889 President Juan Pablo Rojas Paul named him Minister of Public Instruction. In 1892 Villegas was appointed the president of the Federal Council. Villegas served as interim President of Venezuela for the final time in 1892, when
Raimundo Andueza Palacio Raimundo Ignacio Andueza Palacio (6 February 1846 – 17 August 1900), was the president of Venezuela (1890–1892). He also served twice as his country's Minister of Foreign Affairs. A member of the Liberal Party, Andueza entered politics as d ...
was in absentia while dealing with the outbreak of the Legalist Revolution. Villegas resigned later that year and was succeeded by his nephew Guillermo Tell Villegas Pulido. Returning to education, he published the first Venezuelan popular instruction book on literature, science, and fine arts in 1895. In 1901, he was elected as a member of the at the age of 80.


Early life and education

Guillermo Tell Villegas was born in
Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...
,
Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
in 1823. He graduated from the
Central University of Venezuela The Central University of Venezuela (Spanish: ''Universidad Central de Venezuela''; UCV) is a public university of Venezuela located in Caracas. It is widely held to be the highest ranking institution in the country, and it also ranks 18th in L ...
in
Caracas Caracas (, ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas, abbreviated as CCS, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the ...
as a lawyer.


Career


1859-1868: Early positions

Villegas was politically active in the days of the Venezuelan
Federal War The Federal War ( es, Guerra Federal) — also known as the Great War or the Five Year War — was a civil war (1859–1863) in Venezuela between the Conservative party and the Liberal party over the monopoly the Conservatives held over governm ...
(1859–1863). He became the governor of Barinas in 1859, at the age of 35. In 1863, he became a deputy in the Assembly of Victory (Asamblea de La Victoria). In July 1863, he became the undersecretary of Interior and Justice (Interior y Justicia) during the government of
Juan Crisostomo Falcon ''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of ''John''. It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking communities around the world and in the Philippines, and also (pronounced differently) in the Isle of Man. In Spanish, t ...
. In August 1863, he was appointed Minister of Interior and Justice in the Ministry of Interior Justice (Ministerio de Interior y Justicia). As Minister of Interior and Justice, he drafted the decree of Constitutional Guarantees (Constitución Federal) which removed the
death penalty Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...
, exile, and confinement for political enemies of the government. He also guaranteed freedom of expression and extended the right to vote to those over 18 years of age. On August 7, 1863, he was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs of Venezuela (Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores) when he temporarily assumed the role of Antonio Guzman Blanco during Blanco's absence. He remained the 65th Minister of Foreign Affairs of Venezuela until January 21, 1864. He became an appointed member of the Federal High Court in 1864, and was appointed again two years later.


1867-1869: Revolution and new government

Villegas participated in the La Genuina revolution led by General Luciano Mendoza in 1867, along with others such as Pedro Ezequiel Rojas, Elias Rojas, Martin Sanabria and Jose Antonio Mosquera. Shortly before the start of the Blue Revolution ( Revolución Azul), in early 1868 Villegas served as vice president at a meeting of around 1,000 people, all meeting in a theatre in Caracas in an attempt to reconcile Falcon's government with the new "blue" movement led by Miguel Antonio Rojas and
José Tadeo Monagas José Tadeo Monagas Burgos (28 October 1784 – 18 November 1868) was the president of Venezuela 1847–1851 and 1855–1858, and a hero of the Venezuelan War of Independence. Career Presidency In 1846, to head off the challenge from the Liber ...
. He was elected president of the Chamber of Deputies (Cámara de Diputados) in April 1868, where he openly opposed
Falcon Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Falcons are widely distributed on all continents of the world except Antarctica, though closely related raptors did occur there in the Eocene. Adult falcons ...
's government. The Blue Revolution ended in June 1868 with the "blue" movement coming into power, with Villegas serving as a key figure in the new Venezuelan government. Under President
José Ruperto Monagas José Ruperto Monagas (1831 – 12 June 1880) was a Venezuelan Militant and Politician, son of José Tadeo Monagas and Luisa Oriach. He was the president of Venezuela between 1869–1870 because he won the presidential elections in the period of ...
, Villegas served as the 78th
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Venezuela The following is a list of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Venezuela since 1830, when Venezuela achieved independence after the dissolution of Gran Colombia. The founding minister was Diego Bautista Urbaneja, who held multiple terms. The current ...
from June 27, 1868, until February 24, 1869. Preceded in the role by Rafael Arvelo, he was succeeded by
Juan Pablo Rojas Paúl Juan Pablo Rojas Paúl (26 November 1826 – 22 July 1905) was the president of Venezuela from 1888 to 1890. He was the first civilian president who was elected by constitutional procedures in 50 years, and the only one who could finish his t ...
.


1868-1869: First terms as president

On June 28, 1868, he succeeded
Manuel Ezequiel Bruzual Manuel Ezequiel Bruzual (Santa Marta, Colombia, 1830 – Curaçao, 15 August 1868), was a military leader committed to liberal ideas, also in charge of the War and Navy Ministry in 1864, and in 1868 was designated provisional president of Ve ...
as
President of Venezuela The president of Venezuela ( es, Presidente de Venezuela), officially known as the President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, Presidente de la República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is the head of state and head of government in Ven ...
. During his eight-month tenure, he worked to completely abolish the political system established by Falcon. Villegas granted amnesty to political prisoners, reinstated the Federal Constitution from 1864, and re-enforced
civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life of ...
. He also instated federal law and the union of the parties. On October 1, 1868, there was an assassination attempt on Villegas while he was administering his presidential duties at the government mansion. The assassin was captured before the attempt. His tenure lasted until February 20, 1869, when he was followed by
José Ruperto Monagas José Ruperto Monagas (1831 – 12 June 1880) was a Venezuelan Militant and Politician, son of José Tadeo Monagas and Luisa Oriach. He was the president of Venezuela between 1869–1870 because he won the presidential elections in the period of ...
. While Monagas was campaigning in February 1869, as the designated second in the Republic of Venezuela, Villegas again took the role of interim president. While during this short term, he officially honored the mortal remains of General Ezequiel Zamora, and also arranged the repatriation of the remains of Jose Maria Vargas, which had been in
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
. He also honored general
José Gregorio Monagas José Gregorio Monagas (4 May 1795 – 15 July 1858) was the president of Venezuela 1851–1855 and brother of José Tadeo Monagas.
, and had a statue of ''El Libertador'',
Simón Bolívar Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios (24 July 1783 – 17 December 1830) was a Venezuelan military and political leader who led what are currently the countries of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Panama and B ...
, installed in the main square of
Caracas Caracas (, ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas, abbreviated as CCS, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the ...
. Furthermore, he approved of 13,000 pesos in funding to support national schools, and pardoned those that had been involved in the political events of 1868. He furthermore created the Presidency of the Cabinet (Presidencia del Gabinete), before returning the presidential role to Monagas in March 1869. Villegas was appointed Minister of the Interior in December 1869, his second time holding the position.


1871-1901: Education roles and final terms

In 1870, Monagas left Caracas to fight the Liberal Revolution led by Antonio Guzman Blanco, and Villegas was once again appointed interim president in his absence on April 16, 1870. However, Blanco's successful revolution resulted in Villegas retiring from active politics. Villegas' term lasted around ten days, and on April 27, 1870, he ceded the role to
Antonio Guzmán Blanco Antonio José Ramón de La Trinidad y María Guzmán Blanco (28 February 1829 – 28 July 1899) was a Venezuelan military leader, statesman, diplomat and politician. He was the president of Venezuela for three separate terms, from 1870 until 1 ...
. Villegas went into education after his retirement from active politics, and in 1876 he founded the school La Paz along with his nephew Guillermo Tell Villegas Pulido, and he was known as a prominent teacher at the school. He published a book on
Spanish grammar Spanish is a grammatically inflected language, which means that many words are modified ("marked") in small ways, usually at the end, according to their changing functions. Verbs are marked for tense, aspect, mood, person, and number (resulting ...
in 1884, and in 1887 published a book on Spanish homophones. The National Executive (Ejecutivo Nacional) commissioned him in 1889 to write a report to the Minister of Public Instruction on the formation of a series of popular instruction textbooks for Venezuela. Also that year, President Juan Pablo Rojas Paul named him Minister of Public Instruction (Ministro de Instrucción Pública). In the government of President
Raimundo Andueza Palacio Raimundo Ignacio Andueza Palacio (6 February 1846 – 17 August 1900), was the president of Venezuela (1890–1892). He also served twice as his country's Minister of Foreign Affairs. A member of the Liberal Party, Andueza entered politics as d ...
, in 1892 Villegas was appointed the president of the Federal Council (Ejecutivo Nacional). Villegas served as interim President of Venezuela for the final time starting on June 17, 1892, when
Raimundo Andueza Palacio Raimundo Ignacio Andueza Palacio (6 February 1846 – 17 August 1900), was the president of Venezuela (1890–1892). He also served twice as his country's Minister of Foreign Affairs. A member of the Liberal Party, Andueza entered politics as d ...
was in absentia while dealing with the outbreak of the Legalist Revolution (Revolución Legalista) led by
Joaquín Crespo Joaquín Sinforiano de Jesús Crespo Torres (; 22 August 1841 – 16 April 1898) was a Venezuelan military officer and politician. A member of the Great Liberal Party of Venezuela, he served as the president of Venezuela from 1884 to 1886 and aga ...
. Villegas served in the position until August 31, 1892, when he resigned and was succeeded by his nephew Guillermo Tell Villegas Pulido.Gobierno en Línea - Nuestros Presidentes
/ref> Moving from politics to education, he published the first Venezuelan popular instruction book on literature, science, and fine arts in 1895, regarded as one of his most important works. On October 6, 1901, he was named as a new member of the , although the membership couldn't be put into effect due to Villegas' advanced age.


Death

Villegas died in his hometown of Valencia on March 21, 1907, circa the age of 84.


See also

*
Presidents of Venezuela Under the Venezuelan Constitution, the president of Venezuela is the head of state and head of government of Venezuela. As chief of the executive branch and face of the government as a whole, the presidency is the highest political office in th ...
*
List of presidents of Venezuela Under the Constitution of Venezuela, Venezuelan Constitution, the president of Venezuela is the head of state and head of government of Venezuela. As chief of the executive branch and face of the government as a whole, the presidency is the hig ...
*
List of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Venezuela The following is a list of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Venezuela since 1830, when Venezuela achieved independence after the dissolution of Gran Colombia. The founding minister was Diego Bautista Urbaneja, who held multiple terms. The current ...
*
List of Venezuelan writers This is a list in alphabetical order of Venezuelan literary figures and their most representative works, including poets, novelists, historians, essayists, and scholars. A-B * Alfredo Armas Alfonzo (1921–1990) historian, author of "El osario de ...


References

*
Biography of the Foreign Affairs Ministry
* "Dictionary of History of Venezuela", Polar Foundation, 1997.


Citations


External links



{{DEFAULTSORT:Villegas, Guillermo Tell 1823 births 1907 deaths Presidents of Venezuela Venezuelan Ministers of Foreign Affairs Central University of Venezuela alumni 19th-century Venezuelan lawyers People from Valencia, Venezuela Great Liberal Party of Venezuela politicians Ambassadors of Venezuela to Spain Venezuelan people of Spanish descent