por Who was José María Plácido Caamaño?
Jose Maria Placido Caamano (1837-1900) was a 19th century Guayaquil lawyer and politician. He was president of Ecuador, first as an interim in 1883, then officially until 1888.
He was the grandson of the Spanish explorer Jacinto Caamaño and his father was José María Caamaño, who was also related to Ecuadorian politics in the time of García Moreno.
However, Caamaño began his life dedicated to private commercial and administrative work, with which he earned a small fortune.
He was one of the supporters of Ignacio de Veintemilla. Later, when he declared himself dictator, Caamaño became one of his adversaries and was part of the government that took power after overthrowing Veintemilla.
In October 1883, Caamaño was elected as interim president and the following year, after a tie with Rafael Pérez Pareja, he was victorious in the contest for the first magistracy. That is how he started Progressivism in Ecuador.
Despite having come to office with the support of the Liberals, Caamaño decided to give high positions to Conservatives. That was the reason that caused the liberals not only to separate from Caamaño, but also not to give him peace in his mandate.
Biography of José María Plácido Caamaño
birth and family
José María Plácido Caamaño was born on October 5, 1838 in Guayaquil, Ecuador. His father was José María Caamaño y Arteta and his mother was Dolores Cornejo.
The young man attended the Colegio Seminario de Guayaquil, where he received a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and letters. Later, he moved to Quito, where he obtained a Juris Doctor degree from the city’s university.
From then on, Caamaño did not practice his profession, but returned to Guayaquil. There he dedicated himself to the administration of the Tenguel farm, of his family. He was successful as a merchant and found the means to procure a comfortable life.
Policy
On September 8, 1876, Plácido Caamaño was part of the revolution led by Ignacio de Veintemilla, in which a large part of Guayaquil society participated, against the government of President Antonio Borrero y Cortázar.
Caamaño supported the new president, but as time passed, he decided to move away and returned to private life as a landowner and merchant. Then, in 1882, Veintemilla proclaimed himself dictator and Caamaño joined a conspiracy against the government.
The plan was discovered and Caamaño was exiled to Lima, where he remained for a year. From Peru, Caamaño financed and organized the expedition from the south of the restoring army, which united liberals and conservatives against Veintemilla.
When that force triumphed, Plácido Caamaño began to form part of the pentavirate, along with Luis Cordero, Pedro Carbo, José María Sarasti and Agustín Guerrero. The five formed a junta that took command of the Ecuadorian government.
Government
On October 11, 1883, Plácido Caamaño was appointed interim president by the National Convention that had met in Quito. He was in that position until February of the following year, when the constitution was promulgated and a new ruler was chosen.
In the elections, held on February 7, 1884, Caamaño was measured against Rafael Pérez Pareja. There was a tie in the results between the two, so they proceeded to let luck choose the winner.
On February 18 of the same year, Plácido Caamaño assumed the presidency for his four-year term of government. Thus began in Ecuador a new political era that was known as Progressivism.
It was said that Caamaño did not bring old grudges to the first office, but rather the desire for a government of peace and unity in the nation.
However, the ties that united conservatives and liberals against Veintemilla were soon undone by Caamaño’s tendency towards a government made up mostly of conservatives.
That caused the liberals to decide to fight Caamaño, who had to face the so-called montoneras and other constant revolts.
He visited a large part of the national territory and in June 1888, as indicated by the constitution, Caamaño concluded his government. He gave his support to Antonio Flores Jijón for the presidential candidacy in the period that would succeed him.
Last years
Since 1888, Plácido Caamaño served as diplomatic plenipotentiary minister in the United States of America. In 1892 he settled in Guayaquil and was named governor of Guayas.
After a conflict related to the supposed sale of the flag, Caamaño decided to retire from his position and move to Spain, where he remained until the end of his life, impoverished since his fortune made it available to the restoration cause.
Death
José María Plácido Caamaño died on December 31, 1900 in Seville, Spain. His life ended abroad, without money and subsidized by his relatives who had fortunes.
Works in his presidency
To create his government plan, Plácido Caamaño decided to tour the country and study the needs of each province first hand. He considered that only in this way could he design a model that would allow him to bring progress to all corners of Ecuador.
Although, due to the constant riots he had to face, Caamaño was unable to carry out all the projects that he had drawn up, he tried not to abandon public works entirely.
Education was one of the bases of the Caamaño government, in which schools were created throughout the territory. He restored some institutions that he financially supported to improve their facilities, such as the Quito Military School or the Guayaquil Nautical School.
In terms of infrastructure and roads, support was provided to the railway works and new highways were created to unite the regions of Ecuador. In addition, in the field of communication, the telegraph between Quito and Guayaquil was created.
It also reopened the doors of the University of Quito. During his government, the Institute of Sciences was established and the School of Agronomy, the Botanical Garden, the Astronomical Observatory and the National Library were supported.
References
Pérez Pimentel, R. THE ANGUSTIAS OF CAAMAÑO. Taken from ecuadorprofundo.com
Garcia-Pelayo and Gross, R. (1983). Small illustrated Larousse.