Juan Vicente Gómez
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| Juan Vicente Gómez | |
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| In office December 19, 1908 – April 19, 1914 |
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| Preceded by | Cipriano Castro (1908) Victoriano Márques Bustillos (1922) Juan Bautista Pérez (1931) |
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| Succeeded by | Victoriano Márques Bustillos (1914) Juan Bautista Pérez (1929) Eleazar López Contreras (1935) |
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| Born | July 24, 1857 Hacienda La Mulera, Táchira, Venezuela |
| Died | December 17, 1935 Maracay, Aragua, Venezuela |
Juan Vicente Gómez (July 24, 1857 - December 17, 1935) was a military general and president of Venezuela on three occasions from 1908 until his death in 1935.
The barely literate cattle herder Gómez rose to political prominence as a supporter of Cipriano Castro through his exile in Colombia. He became Castro's senior advisor and, in 1902, head of the military, responsible for suppressing several major revolts against the government. Gómez seized power from Castro on December 19, 1908, while Castro was in Europe for medical treatment.
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[edit] Presidency
As president, Gómez managed to deflate Venezuela's staggering debt by granting concessions to foreign oil companies. This, in turn, won him the support of the United States and Europe and economic stability. Though he used the money to launch an extensive public works program, he also received generous kickbacks, increasing his personal fortune enormously. Because of his contributions to the country's development, the Congress bestowed the title of El Benemérito (the Meritorious One) on him. In contrast, his opponents, who disdained his brutal tactics at home, referred to him as El Bagre (the Catfish), a snide reference to his bushy moustache and outward appearance.
On April 19, 1914, Gómez ostensibly stepped down from office in favor of provisional president Victoriano Márques Bustillos, though he continued to rule the country from his home in Maracay. He returned to office in 1922, ruling until April 22, 1929. Though he was reelected to a new term of office by the Congress, he declined to return to the capital, and Juan Bautista Pérez assumed the presidency, though Gómez remained the final authority in the country. On June 13, 1931, Congress forced Perez to resign, and elected Gómez president again. This time, he resumed office, ruling the country until his death.
Gómez's rule of Venezuela is a controversial period in the country's history. He was a patriot, and his cunning and dedicated leadership brought wealth to the country, particularly after the discovery of petroleum in Lake Maracaibo in 1918. He used that wealth to develop a modern infrastructure, but he also enriched himself enormously in the process. He did little for public education and held basic democratic principles in disdain. Although cordial and simple in manner, his ruthless crushing of opponents through his secret police earned him the reputation of a tyrant. He was also accused of trying to make the country a personal fief.
There were two official spouses of Gómez, the first Doña Dionisia Gómez Bello, with whom he had seven children: José Vicente, Josefa, Alí, Flor de María, Graciela, Servilia and Gonzalo, and the second spouse, Doña Dolores Amelia Núñez de Cáceres, with whom we had eight children: Juan Vicente, Florencio, Rosa Amelia, Hermenegilda, Cristina, Belén, Berta and Juan Crisóstomo. However, Gómez also fathered between sixty four and eighty four illegitimate children, many of whom he appointed to public office (along with some of his legitimate children), sparking charges of nepotism.
[edit] Legacy
In Venezuelan politics, Juan Vicente Gómez has come to symbolize political endurance and a caudillo mentality. He was quoted as saying he needed a lifetime to fulfill his political work. In this regard, many critics see today's Venezuelian President Hugo Chavez, and his obsession to stay in power to complete his self-proclaimed "bolivarian revolution", as walking in the footsteps of his famous predecessor.
[edit] External links
- Biography at infoplease.com
- Venezuela - A Century of Caudillismo - A recount of the historical context, Gomez's career and influence.
[edit] See also
 Presidents of Venezuela  |
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| Mendoza | Bolívar | Bolívar | Páez | Vargas | Narvarte | Carreño | Soublette | Páez | Soublette | J.T. Monagas | J.G. Monagas | J.T. Monagas | Gual | J. Castro | Gual | Tovar | Gual | Páez | Falcón | Bruzual | Villegas | J.R. Monagas | Villegas | Guzmán | Linares | Varela | Guzmán | Crespo | Guzmán | H. López | Rojas | Andueza | Villegas | Crespo | Andrade | C. Castro | Gómez | Márques | Gómez | J. Pérez | Gómez | E. López | Medina | Betancourt | Gallegos | Delgado Chalbaud | Suárez Flamerich | Pérez Jiménez | Larrazábal | Sanabria | Betancourt | Leoni | Caldera | C. Pérez | Herrera | Lusinchi | C. Pérez | Velásquez | Caldera | Chávez | Carmona | Cabello | Chávez |
