José Manuel Restrepo Vélez (30 December 1781 – 1 April 1863) was an investigator of

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

flora Flora (: floras or florae) is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. The corresponding term for animals is ''fauna'', and for f ...

political figure A politician is a person who participates in policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles or duties tha ...

and

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human species; as well as the ...

. The

orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Orchids are cosmopolitan plants that are found in almost every habitat on Eart ...

genus ''

Restrepia ''Restrepia'', abbreviated Rstp in horticultural trade, is a small genus of 50 species in the orchid family (Orchidaceae), closely related to ''Pleurothallis''. Named in honor of Don Jose Restrepo, it tends to be more showy than most other Pleu ...

'' was named in his honor. Restrepo was born in the town of

Envigado Envigado () is a city and municipality due South of Medellín, Colombia in the department of Antioquia Department, Antioquia. It is located in the Metropolitan Area of the Aburrá Valley. It borders El Poblado, Medellín to the north, Sabaneta, An ...

Antioquia Antioquia is the Spanish form of Antioch. Antioquia may also refer to: * Antioquia Department Antioquia () is one of the 32 departments of Colombia, located in the central northwestern part of Colombia with a narrow section that borders th ...

in the Colombian Mid-west. He graduated as a lawyer from the Colegio de San Bartolomé in the city of

Santa Fe de Bogotá Santa Claus (also known as Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle or Santa) is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring gifts during the late evening and overnight hours on Christma ...

. He later worked as Secretary for Juan del Corral and Governor Dionisio Tejada during their dictatorial government over

. From 1811 to 1814 he became a Deputy Representative of

during the Congress of the

United Provinces of New Granada The United Provinces of New Granada was a country in South America from 1810 to 1816, a period known in Colombian history as '' la Patria Boba'' ("the Foolish Fatherland"). It was formed from areas of the New Kingdom of Granada, roughly corres ...

. After independence from

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

was achieved by

Simon Bolivar Simon may refer to: People * Simon (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name Simon * Simon (surname), including a list of people with the surname Simon * Eugène Simon, French naturalist and the genus ...

, Restrepo became governor of Antioquia in 1819 as it came to be part of

Greater Colombia Gran Colombia (, "Great Colombia"), also known as Greater Colombia and officially the Republic of Colombia (Spanish: ''República de Colombia''), was a state that encompassed much of northern South America and parts of Central America from 1819 ...

. In 1827, he published a history of Colombia. Restrepo was profoundly interested in geography and fauna of

References

Jorge Orlando Melo Revista Credencial Historial (Bogotá - Colombia). Tomo I. Enero-diciembre, 1990. No.1-12

External links

1781 births 1863 deaths People from Envigado 19th-century Colombian lawyers Governors of Antioquia Department 19th-century Colombian botanists Colombian abolitionists Botanists active in South America {{colombia-botanist-stub Restrepo family Viceroyalty of New Granada people People from Gran Colombia