PAEZ, JOSE ANTONIO

born June 13, 1790, Aricagua, New Granada [now in Venezuela] died May 7, 1873, New York, N.Y., U.S. soldier and politician, a leader in Venezuela's independence movement and the nation's first president. In the crucial early years of Venezuelan independence, he served his country as a moderate dictator. Pez was a part-Indian llanero, one of the horsemen of the plains. Beginning as a ranch hand, he quickly acquired both land and cattle. In 1810 he joined the revolutionary movement against Spain as the leader of a band of llaneros. Becoming chief Venezuelan commander to Simn Bolvar, the liberator of northern South America, Pez and his men helped secure victories at Carabobo (1821) and Puerto Cabello (1823) that resulted in the complete withdrawal of the Spanish. In 1826, after rebelling against the authority of Gran Colombia, of which Venezuela was a province, Pez was appointed military and civilian head of his country. In 1829 he successfully led the movement that resulted in Venezuela's becoming a sovereign nation. He was elected president in 1831 and controlled the country either as chief executive or as a power behind titular presidents until 1846. He usually respected the constitution, permitted limited freedom of the press, and promoted agriculture and industry. He curbed the power of the church in secular affairs but supported its religious authority. In 1846 his own candidate for president turned against him, and he was imprisoned and later forced into exile. He returned to Venezuela in 1861, ruling for a short period as a severely repressive dictator, only to be forced again into exile in 1863. He spent most of his remaining years in New York City, where he published his autobiography in 186769.