Pedro Santana

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Pedro Santana Familias (1801-1864) was a Dominican soldier and politician born in the border community of Hincha (now in Haiti). He was the first constitutional president of the Dominican Republic.

General Pedro Santana Familias

1 Personal Background
2 Military and Political Role
3 As a Dictator
4 External links

[edit] Personal Background

His parents were Pedro Santana and Petronila Familias, landowners in the border zone. Around 1805, Santana moved with his family to El Cibao, and later to El Seibo at the eastern part of the country, where he eventually became a cattle rancher.

[edit] Military and Political Role

He held the office of the presidency during the years 1844-1848, 1853-1856, and 1858-1861 (when Spain annexed the country). Thereafter, Santana became Governor, with the rank of Captain General of the territory. He continued in this post until 1862. He also received the Spanish noble title of Marquess de las Carreras.

Santana was characterized by his great military talents, dictatorial tendencies, annexationist desires, and meticulousness in public affairs. Politically, his actions are criticized by many historians, though without doubt he was a great soldier, which is demonstrated by his participation in numerous battles, including: Batalla del 19 de marzo; Azua in 1844; and Batalla de Las Carreras. He also fought with distinction in the Revolution of July 7, 1857, when the residents of Cibao placed the revolutionary army under his command.

The National Congress awarded him the title of “Liberator of the Nation” on July 18, 1849 for his victory in the Batalla de las Carreras.

[edit] As a Dictator

Albeit being considered a brilliant military strategist, and was in fact a key figure in the successful separation of the Dominican Republic from Haiti, many historians point to the fact that many of his later actions detracted him from becoming a bona fide National Hero:

After his armies beat the Haitian soldiers out of the country, he almost immediately embarked on a quest to eliminate the very Independentists that fought alongside him, because Santana felt that the new nation could not survive without being annexed to Spain, a point of view that the Trinitarian Independentists would not share with him.

He relentlessly proceeded to arrest and/or force to exile members of La Trinitaria. The very first person that was forced out of the country was Juan Pablo Duarte, founding father of the new Dominican Republic.

Another one, was the first heroine of the Republic and sister of one of the Founding Fathers of the nation, María Trinidad Sánchez, sister of Francisco del Rosario Sánchez. She, along with Concepción Bona, made the first national flag. Santana first incarcerated, tortured and sentenced her to death by execution, in lieu that she denied to name the "conspirators" of the newly annexed republic. Exactly one year after the proclamation of Independence (February 27, 1845) María Trinidad Sánchez was executed by a firing squad. This made her the first (but not last) female martyr of the republic[1].

After being defeated in the elections of 1848, he reluntanctly handed over the presidency to Manuel Jimenes González, only to overthrow it by force less than a year later.

On July 16, 1864, Pedro Santana died in the city of Santo Domingo, and was buried in the fortress next to the Torre del Homenaje.