José María Vargas Ponce (10 March 1786, in
La Guaira
La Guaira () is the capital city of the Venezuelan Vargas (state), state of the same name (formerly named Vargas) and the country's main port, founded in 1577 as an outlet for nearby Caracas.
The city hosts its own professional baseball team i ...
– 13 April 1854, in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
) was the
president of Venezuela
The president of Venezuela (), officially known as the president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (), is the executive head of state and head of government of Venezuela. The president leads the National Executive of the Venezuelan go ...
from 1835 to 1836. He was elected in the
1834 Venezuelan presidential election, the first free and fair elections in South America.
He defeated the candidate supported by incumbent president.
Vargas was
Venezuela
Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...
's first civilian president.
He was
overthrown in 1835, returned to office, and resigned in 1836 amid pressure.
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 United Kingdom for medical training.
Vargas performed cataract surgery. He was one of the earliest oculists (eye surgeons) in
Puerto Rico
; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...
after his arrival there in 1817.
He returned to Venezuela to practice medicine and surgery in 1825.
Presidency
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.
List of first ladies
Non-spouse first ladies
See also
* First Lady
* Venezuela
* List o ...
from 1835 to 1836.
In 1877, his ashes were brought to
Caracas
Caracas ( , ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas (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 northern p ...
and buried in the
National Pantheon on 27 April of that same year.
File:Encarnación Maitin.jpg, Encarnación Maitín in 1827
Honors
The Venezuelan state of
Vargas was named after him.
References
External links
*
Doctor José María Vargas– Official biography.
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vargas, Jose Maria
Presidents of Venezuela
Venezuelan ophthalmologists
Central University of Venezuela alumni
Central University of Venezuela rectors
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
Venezuelan educational theorists
Viceroyalty of New Granada people