Cipriano Castro
Encyclopedia
José Cipriano Castro Ruiz (1858–1924) was a high ranking member of the Venezuelan military, politician and the President of Venezuela
from 1899 to 1908. He was the first man from the Andes
to rule the country, and was the first of five military strongmen from the Andean state of Táchira
to rule the country over the next 46 years.
. Castro's father was a mid-level farmer and he received the an education typical of the tachirense middle-class. His family had significant mercantile and family relations with Colombia
, in particlular with Cúcuta
and Puerto Santander
. After studying in his native town and the city of San Cristóbal
, he continued his studies at a seminary school in Pamplona, Colombia
(1872–1873). He left those studies to return to San Cristóbal, where he began work as employee of a company called Van Dissel, Thies and Ci'a. He also worked as a cowboy in the Andean region.
state. In 1878 he was working as the manager of the newspaper El Álbum when he participated along with a group of independence advocates in the seizure of San Cristóbal when they refused submit to the authority of the new president of the state.
In 1884, he got into a disagreement with a parish priest, Juan Ramón Cárdenas in Capacho, which led to his imprisonment in San Cristóbal. After six months, he escaped and took refuge in Cúcuta
, where he ran an inn.. There he met his future wife, Rosa Zoila Martinez, who would become known as Doña Zoila. In June 1886, he returned to the Táchira as a soldier, accompanying generals Segundo Prato, Macabeo Maldonado and Carlos Rangel Garbiras to again raise the flag of autonomy, much to the dismay of the governor of the Táchira region, General Espíritu Santo Morales. Castro defeated government forces in Capacho Viejo and in Rubio
. Promoted to general, himself, Castro began to stand out in the internal politics of Táchira state. It was during the burial of a fellow fighter, Evaristo Jaimes, who had been killed in the earlier fighting that Castro met Juan Vicente Gómez
, his future companion in his rise to power. He entered politics and became the governor of his province of Táchira but was exiled to Colombia when the government in Caracas was overthrown in 1892. Castro lived in Colombia for seven years, amassing a fortune in illegal cattle trading and recruiting a private army.
Amassing considerable support from disaffected Venezuelans, Castro's once personal army developed into a strong national army, and he used it to march on Caracas in October 1899 in an event called the Revolución Liberal Restauradora, and seize power, installing himself as the supreme military commander.
Once in charge, Castro inaugurated a period of plunder and political disorder having assumed the vacant presidency, after modifying the constitution (1904). He remained president for the period 1904-1911, designating Juan Vicente Gomez his "compadre" as vice-president.
Castro's rule was marked by frequent rebellions, the murder or exile of his opponents, his own extravagant living, and trouble with other nations. Castro was characterized as "a crazy brute" by United States secretary of state Elihu Root
and as "probably the worst of Venezuela's many dictators" by historian Edwin Lieuwen. His nine years of despotic and dissolute rule are best known for having provoked numerous foreign interventions, including blockades and bombardments by British, German, and Italian naval units seeking to enforce the claims of their citizens against Castro's government.
by Britain
, Germany
and Italy
over Castro's refusal to pay foreign debts and damages suffered by European citizens in a recent Venezuelan civil war. Castro assumed that the United States
' Monroe Doctrine
would see the US prevent European military intervention, but at the time the US saw the Doctrine as concerning European seizure of territory, rather than intervention per se. With prior promises that no such seizure would occur, the US allowed the action to go ahead without objection. The blockade saw Venezuela's small navy quickly disabled, but Castro refused to give in, and instead agreed in principle to submit some of the claims to international arbitration, which he had previously rejected. Germany initially objected to this, particularly as it felt some claims should be accepted by Venezuela without arbitration.
When the US press reacted negatively to incidents including the sinking of two Venezuelan ships and the bombardment of the coast, the US pressured the parties to settle, and drew attention to its nearby naval fleet. With Castro failing to back down, US pressure and increasingly negative British and American press reaction to the affair, the blockading nations agreed to a compromise, but maintained the blockade during negotiations over the details. This led to the signing of an agreement on 13 February 1903 which saw the blockade lifted, and Venezuela commit 30% of its customs duties to settling claims. When an arbitral tribunal subsequently awarded preferential treatment to the blockading powers against the claims of other nations, the US feared this would encourage future European intervention. The episode contributed to the development of the Roosevelt Corollary
to the United States
' Monroe Doctrine
, asserting a right of the United States to intervene to "stabilize" the economic affairs of small states in the Caribbean and Central America if they were unable to pay their international debts, in order to preclude European intervention to do so.
, who seized a port and destroyed part of Venezuela's tiny navy.
, leaving the government in the hands of his lieutenant Gómez, the man who was instrumental in his victory of 1899. However, Gómez seized power himself. Castro spent the rest of his life in exile, mostly in Puerto Rico
, making several plots to return to power — none of which were successful. Castro died 4 December 1924, in San Juan, Puerto Rico
.
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
from 1899 to 1908. He was the first man from the Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
to rule the country, and was the first of five military strongmen from the Andean state of Táchira
Táchira (state)
Táchira State is one of the 23 states of Venezuela. The state capital is San Cristóbal.Táchira State covers a total surface area of 11,100 km² and, in 2007, had an estimated population of 1,177,300....
to rule the country over the next 46 years.
Early life
Cipriano Castro was the son of José Carmen Castro and Pelagia Ruiz. He was born on 12 October 1858 in Capacho, TáchiraTáchira (state)
Táchira State is one of the 23 states of Venezuela. The state capital is San Cristóbal.Táchira State covers a total surface area of 11,100 km² and, in 2007, had an estimated population of 1,177,300....
. Castro's father was a mid-level farmer and he received the an education typical of the tachirense middle-class. His family had significant mercantile and family relations with Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, in particlular with Cúcuta
Cúcuta
Cúcuta is a Colombian city, capital of Norte de Santander, in the northeast of the country. Due to its proximity to the Colombian-Venezuelan border, Cúcuta is an important commercial center. The city has the constitutional category of Special District. It is located at the most active...
and Puerto Santander
Puerto Santander
Puerto Santander is a town and smallest municipality in the Norte de Santander Department in northeastern Colombia. It is part of the rural zone of Metropolitan Area of Cúcuta and it is localed north of Cúcuta, completely surrounded by the municipality of Cúcuta and the border with...
. After studying in his native town and the city of San Cristóbal
San Cristóbal, Táchira
San Cristóbal is the capital city of the Venezuelan state of Táchira. It is located in a mountainous region of Western Venezuela. The city is situated 818 m/2,625 ft above sea level in the northern Andes overlooking the Torbes River, 56 km/35 mi from the Colombian border. San...
, he continued his studies at a seminary school in Pamplona, Colombia
Pamplona, Colombia
Pamplona is a municipality and city in Norte de Santander, Colombia.-Colonization:Nueva Pamplona del Valle del Espíritu Santo, the name by which Don Pedro de Ursúa and Don Ortún Velasco de Velázquez paid tribute to the capital of the province of Navarre in Spain, was founded on 1 November 1549...
(1872–1873). He left those studies to return to San Cristóbal, where he began work as employee of a company called Van Dissel, Thies and Ci'a. He also worked as a cowboy in the Andean region.
Military experience and introduction to politics
In 1876 Castro opposed the candidacy of general Francisco Alvarado for the presidency of the TáchiraTáchira (state)
Táchira State is one of the 23 states of Venezuela. The state capital is San Cristóbal.Táchira State covers a total surface area of 11,100 km² and, in 2007, had an estimated population of 1,177,300....
state. In 1878 he was working as the manager of the newspaper El Álbum when he participated along with a group of independence advocates in the seizure of San Cristóbal when they refused submit to the authority of the new president of the state.
In 1884, he got into a disagreement with a parish priest, Juan Ramón Cárdenas in Capacho, which led to his imprisonment in San Cristóbal. After six months, he escaped and took refuge in Cúcuta
Cúcuta
Cúcuta is a Colombian city, capital of Norte de Santander, in the northeast of the country. Due to its proximity to the Colombian-Venezuelan border, Cúcuta is an important commercial center. The city has the constitutional category of Special District. It is located at the most active...
, where he ran an inn.. There he met his future wife, Rosa Zoila Martinez, who would become known as Doña Zoila. In June 1886, he returned to the Táchira as a soldier, accompanying generals Segundo Prato, Macabeo Maldonado and Carlos Rangel Garbiras to again raise the flag of autonomy, much to the dismay of the governor of the Táchira region, General Espíritu Santo Morales. Castro defeated government forces in Capacho Viejo and in Rubio
Rubio
Rubio was an American thoroughbred racehorse best remembered as the winner of the 1908 Grand National steeplechase run at Aintree, England.The horse was bred in Rancho del Paso stud in California in 1898 by La Toquera and Star Ruby from the damsire Sir Mordred by breeder, James Ben Ali Haggin and...
. Promoted to general, himself, Castro began to stand out in the internal politics of Táchira state. It was during the burial of a fellow fighter, Evaristo Jaimes, who had been killed in the earlier fighting that Castro met Juan Vicente Gómez
Juan Vicente Gómez
Juan Vicente Gómez Chacón was a military general and de facto ruler of Venezuela from 1908 until his death in 1935. He was president on three occasions during this time, and ruled as an unelected military strongman for the rest of the era.-Early years:Gómez was a barely literate cattle herder and...
, his future companion in his rise to power. He entered politics and became the governor of his province of Táchira but was exiled to Colombia when the government in Caracas was overthrown in 1892. Castro lived in Colombia for seven years, amassing a fortune in illegal cattle trading and recruiting a private army.
Presidency
Once in charge, Castro inaugurated a period of plunder and political disorder having assumed the vacant presidency, after modifying the constitution (1904). He remained president for the period 1904-1911, designating Juan Vicente Gomez his "compadre" as vice-president.
Castro's rule was marked by frequent rebellions, the murder or exile of his opponents, his own extravagant living, and trouble with other nations. Castro was characterized as "a crazy brute" by United States secretary of state Elihu Root
Elihu Root
Elihu Root was an American lawyer and statesman and the 1912 recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. He was the prototype of the 20th century "wise man", who shuttled between high-level government positions in Washington, D.C...
and as "probably the worst of Venezuela's many dictators" by historian Edwin Lieuwen. His nine years of despotic and dissolute rule are best known for having provoked numerous foreign interventions, including blockades and bombardments by British, German, and Italian naval units seeking to enforce the claims of their citizens against Castro's government.
Venezuela Crisis of 1902-1903
The Venezuela Crisis of 1902–1903 saw a naval blockade of several months imposed against VenezuelaVenezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
by Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
over Castro's refusal to pay foreign debts and damages suffered by European citizens in a recent Venezuelan civil war. Castro assumed that the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
' Monroe Doctrine
Monroe Doctrine
The Monroe Doctrine is a policy of the United States introduced on December 2, 1823. It stated that further efforts by European nations to colonize land or interfere with states in North or South America would be viewed as acts of aggression requiring U.S. intervention...
would see the US prevent European military intervention, but at the time the US saw the Doctrine as concerning European seizure of territory, rather than intervention per se. With prior promises that no such seizure would occur, the US allowed the action to go ahead without objection. The blockade saw Venezuela's small navy quickly disabled, but Castro refused to give in, and instead agreed in principle to submit some of the claims to international arbitration, which he had previously rejected. Germany initially objected to this, particularly as it felt some claims should be accepted by Venezuela without arbitration.
When the US press reacted negatively to incidents including the sinking of two Venezuelan ships and the bombardment of the coast, the US pressured the parties to settle, and drew attention to its nearby naval fleet. With Castro failing to back down, US pressure and increasingly negative British and American press reaction to the affair, the blockading nations agreed to a compromise, but maintained the blockade during negotiations over the details. This led to the signing of an agreement on 13 February 1903 which saw the blockade lifted, and Venezuela commit 30% of its customs duties to settling claims. When an arbitral tribunal subsequently awarded preferential treatment to the blockading powers against the claims of other nations, the US feared this would encourage future European intervention. The episode contributed to the development of the Roosevelt Corollary
Roosevelt Corollary
-Background:In late 1902, Britain, Germany, and Italy implemented a naval blockade of several months against Venezuela because of President Cipriano Castro's refusal to pay foreign debts and damages suffered by European citizens in a recent Venezuelan civil war. The incident was called the...
to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
' Monroe Doctrine
Monroe Doctrine
The Monroe Doctrine is a policy of the United States introduced on December 2, 1823. It stated that further efforts by European nations to colonize land or interfere with states in North or South America would be viewed as acts of aggression requiring U.S. intervention...
, asserting a right of the United States to intervene to "stabilize" the economic affairs of small states in the Caribbean and Central America if they were unable to pay their international debts, in order to preclude European intervention to do so.
Dutch-Venezuela War
Five years later, however, Castro again incited foreign naval intervention, this time by the DutchDutch-Venezuela War
In 1908 a dispute broke out between the Netherlands and Cipriano Castro's Venezuela on the grounds of the harbouring of refugees in Curaçao. Venezuela expelled the Dutch ambassador, prompting a Dutch dispatch of three warships - a battleship, the Jacob van Heemskerk, and two cruisers, the...
, who seized a port and destroyed part of Venezuela's tiny navy.
Castro's overthrow in 1908, exile and death in 1924
In 1908 Castro had been seriously ill for four years due to a kidney problem. Castro left for Paris in late 1908 to seek medical treatment for SyphilisSyphilis
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the spirochete bacterium Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum. The primary route of transmission is through sexual contact; however, it may also be transmitted from mother to fetus during pregnancy or at birth, resulting in congenital syphilis...
, leaving the government in the hands of his lieutenant Gómez, the man who was instrumental in his victory of 1899. However, Gómez seized power himself. Castro spent the rest of his life in exile, mostly in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, making several plots to return to power — none of which were successful. Castro died 4 December 1924, in San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
.
Cipriano Castro cabinet (1899-1908)
| Ministries | ||
|---|---|---|
| OFFICE | NAME | TERM |
| President | Cipriano Castro | 1899–1908 |
| Home Affairs | Juan Francisco Castillo | 1899–1900 |
| Rafael Cabrera Malo | 1900–1901 | |
| José Antonio Velutini | 1901–1902 | |
| Rafael López Baralt | 1902–1903 | |
| Leopoldo Baptista | 1903–1907 | |
| Julio Torres Cárdenas | 1907 | |
| Rafael López Baralt | 1907–1908 | |
| Outer Relations | Raimundo Andueza Palacio | 1899–1900 |
| Eduardo Blanco Eduardo Blanco (writer) Eduardo Blanco , Venezuelan writer and politician, was aide-de-camp to General José Antonio Páez, independence hero and first president of Venezuela after the breakup of Gran Colombia in 1830.... |
1900–1901 | |
| Jacinto Regino Pachano | 1901–1902 | |
| Diego Bautista Ferrer | 1902–1903 | |
| Alejandro Urbaneja | 1903 | |
| Gustavo Sanabria | 1903–1905 | |
| Alejandro Ibarra | 1905–1906 | |
| José de Jesús Paúl | 1906–1908 | |
| Finance | Ramón Tello Mendoza | 1899–1903 |
| José Cecilio De Castro | 1903–1906 | |
| Francisco de Sales Pérez | 1906 | |
| Gustavo Sanabria | 1906 | |
| Eduardo Celis | 1906–1907 | |
| Arnaldo Morales | 1906–1907 | |
| War and Navy | José Ignacio Pulido | 1899–1902 |
| Ramón Guerra | 1902–1903 | |
| José María García Gómez | 1903 | |
| Manuel Salvador Araujo | 1903–1904 | |
| Joaquín Garrido | 1904–1905 | |
| José María García Gómez | 1905–1906 | |
| Diego Bautista Ferrer | 1906 | |
| Manuel Salvador Araujo | 1906–1907 | |
| Diego Bautista Ferrer | 1907–1908 | |
| Development | José Manuel Hernández | 1899 |
| Celestino Peraza | 1899 | |
| Guillermo Tell Villegas Pulido Guillermo Tell Villegas Pulido Guillermo Tell Villegas Pulido , was a Venezuelan lawyer, journalist and politician. Acting president of Venezuela in 1892, during the crisis of the Revolución Legalista , led by Joaquín Crespo.... |
1899–1900 | |
| Ramón Ayala | 1900–1901 | |
| Felipe Arocha Gallegos | 1901–1902 | |
| Arnaldo Morales | 1902–1903 | |
| José T. Arria | 1903 | |
| Rafael Garbiras Guzmán | 1903–1904 | |
| Arnaldo Morales | 1904–1905 | |
| Diego Bautista Ferrer | 1905–1906 | |
| Arístides Tellería | 1906 | |
| Arnaldo Morales | 1906 | |
| Jesús María Herrera Irigoyen | 1906–1908 | |
| Public Works | Victor Rodríguez | 1899 |
| Juan Otáñez Maucó | 1899–1902 | |
| Rafael María Carabaño | 1902–1903 | |
| Ricardo Castillo Chapellín | 1903 | |
| Alejandro Rivas Vásquez | 1903–1904 | |
| Ricardo Castillo Chapellín | 1904–1906 | |
| Luis Mata Illas | 1906 | |
| Juan Casanova | 1906–1908 | |
| Public Instruction | Manuel Clemente Urbaneja | 1899–1900 |
| Félix Quintero | 1900–1901 | |
| Tomás Garbiras | 1901–1902 | |
| Rafael Monserrate | 1902–1903 | |
| Eduardo Blanco | 1903–1905 | |
| Arnaldo Morales | 1905–1906 | |
| Enrique Siso | 1906 | |
| Carlos León | 1906 | |
| Eduardo Blanco | 1906 | |
| Laureano Villanueva | 1906–1907 | |
| José Antonio Baldó | 1907–1908 | |
| Secretary of Presidency | Celestino Peraza | 1899 |
| Julio Torres Cárdenas | 1899–1906 | |
| Lucio Baldó | 1906 | |
| José Rafael Revenga | 1906–1907 | |
| Rafael Gárbiras Guzmán | 1907–1908 | |
| Leopoldo Baptista | 1908 | |