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 The Liberal Party ( es, Partido Liberal, PL), better known as Great Liberal Party of Venezuela ( es, Gran Partido Liberal de Venezuela, GPLV), was a political party in Venezuela, founded on August 20, 1840, by Antonio Leocadio Guzmán and Tomás ...

, he served as the president of Venezuela from 1884 to 1886 and again from 1892 to 1898. He began his career as a soldier during the

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 govern ...

Presidency

Joaquín Crespo became president for the first time in 1884. In 1886 Guzmán Blanco returned as president. Crespo went into exile during the presidency of

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 ...

which marked a break with Guzmán Blanco's policies. During the second Joaquín Crespo regime, which began in 1892, a new constitution increased the presidential term. The Venezuelan crisis of 1895 saw

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 ...

's longstanding dispute with Great Britain about the territory of Guayana Esequiba come to a head with the USA giving diplomatic support to Venezuela. Britain claimed the territory as part of British Guiana while Venezuela saw it as Venezuelan. The disputed border was submitted to international arbitration. The arbitral panel awarded most of the territory to Britain in 1899 after Crespo's death.

Subsequent career

In 1897, Crespo did not campaign for a third presidential term but supported

Ignacio Andrade Ignacio Andrade Troconis (31 July 1839 – 17 February 1925), was a military man and politician.

against key opponent Jose Manuel Hernandez. Andrade won the election and inaugurated his term on February 28, 1898 . Hernandez decried the results as fraudulent and took up arms. Hernandez was quickly defeated, with resultant political turmoil.

Death

Crespo, who remained a military mainstay of the government, was killed in battle on April 16, 1898 in the Combat of Mata Carmelera while defending the government of Andrade. He was buried in the Southern General Cemetery. During the

crisis in Venezuela The crisis in Venezuela is an ongoing socioeconomic and political crisis that began in Venezuela during the presidency of Hugo Chávez and has worsened in Nicolás Maduro's presidency. It has been marked by hyperinflation, escalating starvation ...

, in 2018, the tomb of Crespo and his wife Jacinta was looted and vandalized, leaving their bodies exposed to the elements.

Personal life

Crespo was married to Jacinta Parejo, who served as

First Lady of Venezuela First Lady of Venezuela (Spanish: ''Primera Dama de Venezuela'') is the unofficial title traditionally held by the wife of the president of Venezuela. The current office of the first lady is disputed. List of first ladies Non-spouse first ladi ...

from 1884 to 1886, and 1892–1898. File:Misia Jacinta.jpg, Jacinta Parejo

References

External links