General José Antonio Salcedo y Ramírez, known as "Pepillo" (1816–1864) was a 19th-century President of the Dominican Republic.

Early life

Salcedo was born in Madrid, Spain from Criollo (white creole) parents of Spanish heritage who had been stationed in Spain for over a year, as part of the traditional Grand Tour of rich Latin American Criollos to Spain.[1]

The names of his parents were José María Salcedo and Luisa Ramírez y Marichal, both Cuban-born Dominicans (many Dominicans fled the island due to the Napoleonic wars, the Haitian slave revolt and the political instability from 1795 to 1809: about 4,000 went to Cuba and 100,000 did so to Venezuela while scores exiled in Puerto Rico and Mexico; many Dominicans and their foreign-born children eventually returned to the island[2][3]).

Leaving Spain, the family returned to Cuba when Salcedo was a year old before settling in the lands of their ancestors in the Cibao valley. He grew up near the border of Haiti where he managed large tracts of land, herds of livestock, and a rich timber business in the towns of Hatillo Palma, Estero Balsa, and Botoncillo in the northwest.

Civil war and presidency

Salcedo led a civil war which aimed at the restoration of the Dominican Republic. The Dominican Restoration War began on August 16, 1863, and by September 14, 1863 a Provisional Government was established, over which the general presided.

After he became the 1st head of state of the Dominican Republic, the general was opposed by the Nationalist movement, who viewed his policies as favoring those supporting the annexation of the country.

Assassination

On October 15, 1864, Head of State Salcedo sent word to his wife (who lived in Guayubín) about the opposition, with a young soldier who was nearly in his mid-twenties named Ulises Heureaux. Later on the same day, he was assassinated by Coronel Agustín Masagó by order of General Gaspar Polanco.

Personal life

Salcedo married Águeda Rodríguez of Guayubín, Monte Cristi. Together they had at least four children: José Tomás (born 1841 and married Rosa Elvira Brea in 1869[4]), Antonia (born 1846[5]), Cristina (born 1851[6]), and Julia (married Rosendo Batista in 1888[7]) Salcedo y Rodríguez. Antonia Salcedo married and had a daughter with another Restoration figure, Dionisio Troncoso (1834–1891), named Antonia María Troncoso y Salcedo.[8] A great granddaughter of Pepillo, Genoveva Cruz, was 95 in 2017.She is still alive and celebrated her 101 birthday, I know this as she is my aunt grandmother, her sister Ana Mercedes Cruz was my grandmother. The descendants of Pepillo Salcedo are many.[9]

Honors

The town of Pepillo Salcedo, in Monte Cristi province, was named in his honor.

References

  1. ↑ Chaljub Mejia, Rafael (2007). Diccionario biográfico de los restauradores de la República. Santo Domingo: BanReservas. pp. 260–261, 277–281, 295–296. ISBN 978-9945-8591-2-6.
  2. ↑ Moya Pons, Frank. Historia de la República Dominicana (in Spanish). Vol. 2. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Academia Dominicana de la Historia, Ediciones Doce Calles. p. 39. ISBN 978-84-9744-106-3.
  3. ↑ Ramos, Marcos Antonio (24 April 2009). "Emigraciones a Cuba y cubanos de origen dominicano" (in Spanish). Hoy.
  4. ↑ "República Dominicana, matrimonios, 1743-1929," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FLSN-MW5  : 11 February 2018), Jose Antonio Salcedo in entry for Jose Tomas Salcedo and Rosa Elvira Brea, 24 May 1869; citing Santa María De La Encarnación, Santo Domingo, Distrito Nacional, Dominican Republic, reference ; FHL microfilm 636,860.
  5. ↑ "República Dominicana, bautismos, 1726-1924," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FLS8-248  : 8 March 2018), Jose Antonio Salcedo in entry for Antonia Salcedo, 24 Oct 1846; citing , reference ; FHL microfilm 624,480.
  6. ↑ "República Dominicana, bautismos, 1726-1924," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FLSD-D6K  : 8 March 2018), Jose Antonio Salcedo in entry for Cristina Salcedo, 20 Sep 1851; citing , reference ; FHL microfilm 624,480.
  7. ↑ "Matrimonios, San Lorenzo de Guayubin (1879–1932), n. 45, pg. 40v". Family Search. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
  8. ↑ "Caribbean Births and Baptisms, 1590-1928," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XLKT-TJQ  : 10 February 2018), Antonia Salcedo in entry for Antonia Maria Troncoso Salcedo, 20 Jan 1865; citing , reference ; FHL microfilm 624,448.
  9. ↑ domingo, G. Soluciones-Desarrollo web en santo (2017-11-12). "Bisnieta del presidente Pepillo Salcedo anhela orden que existía antes en RD". AlMomento.net (in Spanish). Retrieved 2019-09-30.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.