Pedro Santana

Pedro Santana
1st President of the Dominican Republic
In office November 13, 1844 – August 4, 1848
Vice President	None
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Council of Secretaries of State
4th President of the Dominican Republic
In office February 15, 1853 – May 26, 1856
Vice President	Felipe Benicio Alfau Bustamante (1853) Manuel de Regla Mota y Alvarez (1853-1856)
Preceded by	Buenaventura Báez
Succeeded by	Manuel de Regla Mota
8th President of the Dominican Republic
In office August 31, 1858 – March 18, 1861
Vice President	Benigno Filomeno de Rojas y Ramos (1858-1861)
Preceded by	José Desiderio Valverde
Succeeded by	Annexation to Spain
1st Governors-General of Santo Domingo
In office March 18, 1861 – July 20, 1862
Preceded by	Himself as President
Succeeded by	Felipe Ribero
Supreme Chief of the Dominican Republic
In office May 30, 1849 – September 23, 1849
Preceded by	Manuel Jimenes
Succeeded by	Buenaventura Báez
Personal details
Born	(1801-06-29)June 29, 1801 Hinche, Colony of Santo Domingo (Presently part of Haiti)
Died	June 16, 1864(1864-06-16) (aged 62) Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Spouse(s)	Micaela Antonia Rivera Ana Zorrilla
Religion	Catholic

Pedro Santana y Familias (Pedro Santana y Familias, 1st Marquis of Las Carreras) (June 29, 1801 – June 14, 1864) was a wealthy cattle rancher, soldier, politician and dictator of the Dominican Republic. He was born in the community of Hinche, which was part of the Colony of Santo Domingo. Currently, Hinche is a border town part of Haiti. He was the first constitutional President of the Dominican Republic, and the first Marqués de las Carreras.

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 for 2 years.

Military and political role

Santana was the Dominican Republic's president (although he ruled as a dictator) during the years 1844-1848, 1853–1856, and 1858-1861 (when Spain annexed the Dominican Republic as Santana wished). Thereafter, Santana became Governor, with the rank of Captain General of the territory. He held those titles until 1862.

Santana had great talent as a military leader, but was unable to leave his dictatorial personality on the battlefield. Though many historians criticise his rule as an economic disaster, Santana was meticulous in conducting public affairs, and obviously a great soldier.

Santana also fought with distinction in the Revolution of July 7, 1857, when Cibao placed their revolutionary army under his command. The Congress of the Dominican Republic awarded Santana the title of “Liberator of the Nation” on July 18, 1849 for his victory in the Battle of Las Carreras.

As a dictator

He is considered a brilliant military strategist, and was a key figure in the successful separation of the Dominican Republic from Haiti. But many historians think that some of his later actions barred him from becoming a genuine national hero.

• After he drove the Haitian army out of the country in the Dominican War of Independence, he almost immediately moved to eliminate the very Independentists that fought alongside him. Santana felt that the new nation could not survive without being annexed to Spain, which the Trinitarian Independentists did not accept.

• He relentlessly arrested or exiled 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.

• Santana attacked María Trinidad Sánchez, the first heroine of the Republic and aunt of Francisco del Rosario Sánchez of the Founding Fathers of the nation. She and Concepción Bona made the first national flag. Santana imprisoned her, tortured her, and sentenced her to death when she refused to name "conspirators" against him in the newly independent 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 .

Last years

On June 16, 1864, Pedro Santana died in the city of Santo Domingo, shortly after having been awarded the hereditary title of Marqués de las Carreras (28 March 1862), in recognition of his victory in the Battle of Las Carreras, by Queen Isabel II of Spain, and was buried in the Ozama Fortress next to the Torre del Homenaje.

External links

• Dominican Republic Heads of State - www.archontology.org
• Pedro Santana Familias - www.27febrero.com (in Spanish) by Miosotis de Jesus