Guillermo Tell Villegas Pulido (28 July 1854 – 25 July 1949), was a

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 ...

n lawyer, writer, journalist, and politician who served as acting

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 ...

.Historia de Venezuela / Tomas del poder
A lawyer early in his career, in 1876 he cofounded the school La Paz 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 ...

. Also dedicated to journalism, he founded the publications ''Alianza Literaria'' in 1876, ''La Mayoría'' in 1879, and ''Monitor'' in 1889.IABN. (1982). "Los Liberales amarillos en la caricatura venezolana" Between 1879 and 1892 he held various political roles including Secretary of Interior of the Federal District,

secretary general Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the organization. The term is derived ...

in the government of President Antonio Guzmán Blanco, and a trial judge in Caracas. Villegas Pulido served as deputy for the state of Bolívar from 1890 until 1892. Following the resignation of president

Guillermo Tell Villegas Guillermo Tell Villegas (1 January 1823 in Valencia, Venezuela – 21 March 1907 in Valencia) was a Venezuelan politician, lawyer, and writer. Among other government positions, he served as interim president of Venezuela in 1868, 1870 and 18 ...

during the crisis of the

Legalist Revolution The Legalist Revolution was a civil war in Venezuela that was caused by the "Continuity movement" of President Raimundo Andueza Palacio who wanted to perpetuate himself in power through a constitutional reform. Although it was constitutionally ...

, Villegas Pulido was selected by the Federal Council as the provisional president of Venezuela in August 1892. During his short tenure, he helped establish the Psychiatric Hospital of Caracas. After

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 ...

established himself as president by force in October 1892, Villegas Pulido left the country. Returning to Venezuela in 1898, until 1904 he headed three state governments, starting with

Falcón ) , anthem = , image_map = Falcon in Venezuela.svg , map_alt = , map_caption = Location within Venezuela , pushpin_map = , pushpin_map_alt = , pushpin_mapsiz ...

and followed by Guárico and Apure. He first served as

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

of Venezuela from 1899 until 1909, holding the role a total of three times.

Consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throug ...

of Venezuela in the

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...

from 1906 until 1907, in 1909 he served as president of the chamber of deputies, and afterwards served a 22-year term as interim president of the Liberator Order. He taught at 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 his later years, helping found the Academy of Social and Political Sciences and serving as

Dean of the Faculty Dean is a title employed in academic administrations such as colleges or universities for a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, over a specific area of concern, or both. In the United States and Canada, deans are usua ...

Political Science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

, as well as

vice chancellor A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system. In most Commonwealth and former Commonwealth nations, the chancellor is ...

. He also published several law papers and books before his death in Caracas in 1949.

Early life and education

Guillermo Tell Villegas Pulido was born in Barinas on July 28, 1854 to José Antonio Villegas and Nieves Pulido.Gobierno en Línea - Nuestros Presidentes
/ref> His uncle,

, was a politician and lawyer in Barinas and

. In the early 1970s Villegas Pulido moved to CaracasPolar Foundation. (1997). "Dictionary of History of Venezuela" to study law at the

, where he graduated in 1875.

Career

1876-1891: Early positions

Along with his uncle

, in 1876 Villegas Pulido helped found the "La Paz" school in Caracas. Also in 1876, Villegas Pulido founded the magazine ''Literary Alliance'' (''Alianza Literaria''), afterwards founding the magazine ''The Majority'' (''La Mayoría'') in 1879, in the city of La Victoria. In 1879, he was appointed as special commissioner of Venezuela in

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...

. He served as Secretary of Interior of the Federal District (Caracas) between 1879 and 1880, and secretary general of President Antonio Guzmán Blanco in 1880. In 1881, he served as a trial judge in Caracas. He helped create the newspaper ''Monitor'' in 1889 in

Ciudad Bolívar Ciudad Bolívar (; Spanish for "Bolivar City"), formerly known as Angostura and St. Thomas de Guyana, is the capital of Venezuela's southeastern Bolívar, Venezuela, Bolívar State. It lies at the spot where the Orinoco River narrows to about ...

in Southeastern Venezuela. ''Monitor'' has been described as the first newspaper to react against Antonio Guzmán Blanco. He was elected deputy to the National Congress for the Bolívar state of Venezuela from 1890 until 1892.

1892: Presidential term and hospital

Villegas Pulido's uncle,

, was appointed 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 ...

on June 17, 1892, while elected president Venezuelan 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 ...

was in absentia dealing with the outbreak of the Legalist Revolution ( Revolución Legalista). On August 31, 1892, following the resignation of his uncle, Villegas Pulido was selected by the Federal Council as the provisional president of Venezuela. Before his short tenure ended on October 7 of that year, he helped establish the Psychiatric Hospital of Caracas (Hospital Psiquiátrico de Caracas), after visiting the Insane Asylum of

Los Teques Los Teques ) is the capital of the state of Miranda and the municipality of Guaicaipuro Municipality. It is located in the capital region of north-central Venezuela. More specifically, southwest of Caracas, 10° 21' 00" N latitude and 67° 02' 3 ...

and seeing the neglected conditions of its patients. Seeking better alternatives, Villegas Pulido remodeled an old barracks located in west Caracas, and with contributions and help from the ''San José de Tarbes'' Nuns Community, enabled a train to facilitate the transfer of patients to the new building. The asylum was inaugurated on September 17, 1892.Medicina en el tiempo / Academia Biomédica Digital
His revolution successful,

reached Caracas in October 1892 and established himself as president. Villegas Pulido exiled himself and left the country as a result.

1898-1949: State and federal positions

Returning to Venezuela in 1898, that year Villegas Pulido headed of government of the state of

Falcón ) , anthem = , image_map = Falcon in Venezuela.svg , map_alt = , map_caption = Location within Venezuela , pushpin_map = , pushpin_map_alt = , pushpin_mapsiz ...

. Afterwards, from 1900 until 1901 he led the government of the state of Guárico, followed by the state of Apure from 1903 until 1904. He was also appointed Attorney General of Venezuela in 1899, holding the role until 1909. From 1906 until 1907, he was Consul of Venezuela in the

island of Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmo ...

, and in 1909 he served as president of the chamber of deputies (cámara de diputados). In 1912, he started a 22-year term as interim president of the Order of the Liberator (Orden del Libertador) that lasted until 1934. He served as Attorney General of Venezuela for the second time from 1913 until 1916. He taught at the

in Caracas in his later years. At the university, Villegas Pulido served as

and

from 1930 until 1933, and was also a founding member of the Academy of Social and Political Sciences (Academia de Ciencias Políticas y Sociales). In 1936, he served as Attorney General of Venezuela for the third time. In 1939, he developed the ''Alphabetic Index of the Laws and Decrees of Venezuela'' (''Indice Aflabetico de la Recopilacion de Leyes y Decretos de Venezuela''). In 1940, he published ''The Inquisition of Paternity Law through Blood Tests'' (''La inquisición de la Paternidad por el examen de la sangre'').

Death

Guillermo Tell Villegas Pulido died in Caracas in 1949, in July at the age of 95.

Bibliography

*1916: ''Jurisprudencia médica venezolana'' *1919: ''Los extranjeros en Venezuela: su no admisión, su expulsión'' *1920: ''El Matrimonio - Estudio de Medicina Legal en relación con la Ley Venezolana'' *''Estudio sobre el libro El Presidente del doctor R. F. Seijas'' *1938: ''El certificado prenupcial'' *1939: ''Índice de Leyes y decretos de los Estados Unidos de Venezuela'' (''Alphabetic Index of the Laws and Decrees of Venezuela'') *1940: ''La inquisición de la Paternidad por el examen de la sangre'' (''The Inquisition of Paternity Law through Blood Tests'')

References

External links

Guillermo Tell Villegas Pulido
on VenezuelaTuya.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Villegas Pulido, Guillermo Tell Presidents of Venezuela Presidents of the Venezuelan Chamber of Deputies Members of the Venezuelan Chamber of Deputies Venezuelan journalists 19th-century Venezuelan lawyers Central University of Venezuela alumni Academic staff of the Central University of Venezuela People from Barinas (state) 1854 births 1949 deaths Great Liberal Party of Venezuela politicians Venezuelan people of Spanish descent Attorneys general of Venezuela