José María Vargas Ponce (10 March 1786, in
La Guaira
La Guaira () is the capital city of the Venezuelan state of the same name (formerly named Vargas) and the country's main port. It was founded in 1577 as an outlet for Caracas, to the southeast. The town and the port were badly damaged during ...
– 13 April 1854, in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
) was the
president of Venezuela from 1835 to 1836. Vargas was Venezuela's first civilian president.
He graduated with a degree in philosophy from the Seminario Tridentino, and obtained in 1809 his medical degree from the
Real y Pontificia Universidad de Caracas. Vargas was imprisoned in 1813 for revolutionary activities. Upon his release in 1813, he travelled to Europe for medical training.
Vargas performed cataract surgery. He was one of the earliest oculists (eye surgeons) in Puerto Rico after his arrival there in 1817.
He returned to Venezuela to practice medicine and surgery in 1825.
He resigned from his presidency in 1836.
Personal life
José María Vargas was married to Encarnación Maitín, 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 1835 to 1836.
In 1877, his ashes were brought to Caracas and buried in the National Pantheon on 27 April of that same year.
File:Encarnación Maitin.jpg, Encarnación Maitín in 1827
References
External links
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Doctor José María Vargas– Official biography.
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Vargas, Jose Maria
Presidents of Venezuela
Venezuelan ophthalmologists
Central University of Venezuela alumni
Central University of Venezuela faculty
People from La Guaira
1786 births
1854 deaths
Conservative Party (Venezuela) politicians
Venezuelan people of Canarian descent
Venezuelan people of Spanish descent
Burials at the National Pantheon of Venezuela