Sebastián Ágreda (1795 – 18 December 1875) was a Bolivian military officer and statesman who served as the seventh

president of Bolivia The president of Bolivia (), officially known as the president of the Plurinational State of Bolivia (), is head of state and head of government of Bolivia and the captain general of the Armed Forces of Bolivia. According to the Bolivian C ...

for 29 days in 1841. In addition to his short term as president, he also held a number of other governmental roles as well as being a prominent figure in the Bolivian military.

Early life and military career

Ágreda was born in Potosí, Bolivia in 1795, from a very young age, he enlisted in the armies of General

José de San Martín José Francisco de San Martín y Matorras (; 25 February 177817 August 1850), nicknamed "the Liberator of Argentina, Chile and Peru", was an Argentine general and the primary leader of the southern and central parts of South America's succe ...

. He participated in the battles of Chacabuco and Maipú. Ágreda had fought in the battles of Junin and

Ayacucho Ayacucho (, , derived from the words ''aya'' ("death" or "soul") and ''k'uchu'' ("corner") in honour of the battle of Ayacucho), founded in 1540 as San Juan de la Frontera de Huamanga and known simply as Huamanga (Quechua: Wamanga) until 1825, i ...

under

Antonio José de Sucre Antonio José de Sucre y Alcalá (; 3 February 1795 – 4 June 1830), known as the "Gran Mariscal de Ayacucho" (), was a Venezuelan general and politician who served as the president of Bolivia from 1825 to 1828. A close friend and associate ...

, for which the Grand Marshal rewarded him as commander of the Military College in Chuquisaca. Later still, he was appointed commander of the Army by

Andrés de Santa Cruz Andrés de Santa Cruz y Calahumana (; 30 November 1792 – 25 September 1865) was a Bolivian general and politician who served as interim president of Peru in 1827, the interim president of Peru from 1836 to 1838 and the sixth president of ...

, and was considered a national hero for heading the Bolivian forces that routed

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

at the Battle of Montenegro in 1838. Later, in the division of General

Guillermo Miller William Miller (2 December 1795 – 31 October 1861), better known as Guillermo Miller, was an English-born army officer and diplomat who served in the Peninsular War and the Spanish American wars of independence. Biography Born December 2, 179 ...

, he fought in the battles of Junín and Ayacucho under the command of Antonio José de Sucre. In 1826 he was appointed by Sucre as second head of the Military College until 1828. He fought in the main battles of the campaigns of Marshal Andrés de Santa Cruz in Peru. He was War Minister of Marshal Santa Cruz. Later he fought in the Battle of Montenegro. For his merits in this battle he was appointed Minister Plenipotentiary in Lima.

Presidency

A loyal supporter of the Grand Marshal, in June 1841 General Ágreda succeeded in removing Gen.

José Miguel de Velasco José Miguel de Velasco Franco (; 29 September 1795 – 13 October 1859) was a Bolivian Officer (armed forces), military officer and statesman who served as the fourth president of Bolivia on four occasions: 1828, 1829, 1839–1841, and 1848. V ...

from power, installing himself as ''de facto'' ruler pending the return of Santa Cruz. He only controlled portions of the Army and, moreover, faced the opposition of the venerated members of Congress, with whom he had clashed since they insisted on naming one of their now to the post of Provisional President. After only a month in power, he agreed to leave provided Congress name a pro-Santa Cruz Provisional President until Santa Cruz himself could return to rule. This done, he left the Government Palace, and remained a respected war hero. Indeed, he became an elder statesman of sorts, serving as ambassador abroad and member of the Cabinet under José Ballivián, and Prefect of

La Paz La Paz, officially Nuestra Señora de La Paz (Aymara language, Aymara: Chuqi Yapu ), is the seat of government of the Bolivia, Plurinational State of Bolivia. With 755,732 residents as of 2024, La Paz is the List of Bolivian cities by populati ...

and Chuquisaca in his latter years (chiefly in the administrations of

Jorge Córdova Jorge Córdova (23 April 1822, in La Paz – 23 October 1861) was a Bolivian general and politician who served as the 12th president of Bolivia from 1855 to 1857. He was overthrown in 1857 by forces loyal to José María Linares. He was assassi ...

and José María Achá). He died at the age of 80 in

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Agreda, Sebastian 1795 births 1875 deaths 19th-century Bolivian politicians Achá administration cabinet members Bolivian generals Defense ministers of Bolivia Leaders who took power by coup People from Potosí People of the Chilean War of Independence People of the Peruvian War of Independence People of the War of the Confederation Presidents of Bolivia People from the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata