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Eduardo López de Romaña | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 32ndPresident of Peru | |
| In office September 8, 1899 – September 8, 1903 | |
| Prime Minister | Manuel María Gálvez Egúsquiza Enrique de la Riva-Agüero y Looz Corswaren Domingo M. Almenara Butler Cesáreo Chacaltana Reyes Cesáreo Octavio Deustua Escarza Eugenio Larrabure y Unanue |
| Vice President | Isaac Alzamora Federico Bresani |
| Preceded by | Nicolás de Piérola |
| Succeeded by | Manuel Candamo |
| Minister of Public Works | |
| In office 25 January 1896 – 8 August 1896 | |
| President | Nicolás de Piérola |
| Preceded by | Office created |
| Succeeded by | Manuel J. Cuadros |
| 1st Vice President of the Chamber of Deputies | |
| In office 1895–1896 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | José Gabriel Eduardo Octavio López de Romaña y Alvizuri 19 March 1847 |
| Died | 26 May 1912 (age 65) |
| Spouse(s) | María Josefa de Castresana y García de la Arena Julia de Castresana y García de la Arena |
| Children | Eduardo, Carlos, Hortencia, Juan, Luis, Catalina, Julia, Fernando and Francisco |
| Parent(s) | Juan Manuel López de Romaña y Fernández Pascua María Josefa Alvizuri y Bustamante |
| Alma mater | King's College London |
Eduardo López de Romaña y Alvizuri (19 March 1847 – 26 May 1912) served as the 32ndPresident of Peru from September 1899 to September 1903.[1]
A member of the landowning elite, he was the first engineer to become President of the Republic, and one of several Presidents from the era of the so-called Aristocratic Republic.
López de Romaña was born inArequipa, the son of Juan Manuel López de Romaña y Fernández Pascua and María Josefa Alvizuri y Bustamante. His father was a wealthylandowner ofSpanishancestry owner of largehaciendas andfincas in theSouthern Peru.
He was educated at the San Jerónimo Seminary, Arequipa, andStonyhurst College,Lancashire. Romaña received hisB.A. fromKing's College London in1868 and was appointed a member of theInstitute of Civil Engineers ofLondon in1872. He went toIndia and worked in the construction of the Ravi Bridge for thePunjab Northern State Railway and then toBrazil where he was employed by the Public Works Construction Company in the construction of the railroad line from theMadeira River to theMamoré River. The climate of theBrazilian Amazon was so unhealthful that of thirty engineers engaged in the work twenty-one died before it was completed.
Upon his return to Peru in1874, he devoted himself to the management of one of the familyplantations in theTambo Valley and worked in the fledgling agricultural development and engineering circles of the country. When thewar with Chile broke out in1879, he was appointedcommanding general of the civic division of Tambo which operated in the coast of Arequipa. Having under his command three battalions, he took an active part in the expedition which stopped theChilean Army from entering Arequipa city and compelled it to reembark atMollendo. When the Chilean counter-attacked in1882, they initially defeated them once again but then the city surrendered to the southern army after the provisional government was deposed.
Residing in Arequipa after the war, he was elected President of the Liberal Club and served three terms as Director of the Public Charity of the city. AfterNicolás de Piérola and theNational Coalition betweenCivilistas andDemocrats triumphed in the Civil War of 1894, Romaña was elected Deputy for Arequipa in the 1895 general election and was designated First Vice-President of his chamber by theCongress. When President Piérola created the Ministry of Public Works in January1896, he was appointed for this portfolio but his ministry lasted less than seven months because the Barinaga Cabinet fell in August of the same year. The following year he was elected Mayor of Arequipa but was compelled to resign due to a conflict of interest with the city's infrastructure projects.
In 1898 he was electedSenator forAyacucho. By July 1899, when Piérola's administration called general election, the National Coalition offered the presidential candidacy to his brother Alejandro (former Prime Minister) but he declined in favor of Eduardo, an independent.[citation needed]
During these years, Carlos de Piérola, a democrat and brother of former presidentNicolás de Piérola, was the majority leader of theChamber of Deputies, whileManuel Candamo, a civilista party leader, presided over theSenate. This division allowed for the prevalence of the democrats in the Chamber of Deputies, and for thecivilistas in the Senate. These differences, however, rapidly led to the democrats leading the opposition. López de Romaña reshuffled his cabinet almost exclusively withcivilistas, a move which resulted in the majority democrats of the Chamber of Deputies to continuously censure.[citation needed]
As a result, there were various parliamentary discords concerning the non-dismissal of censured ministers. Thedevelopment in agriculture also continued during López de Romaña's term, as well as that in the mining and other related industries. The code of mining was promulgated in 1901, as well as the Code of Trade and the Code of Waters in 1902. He also created theNueva Compañia ("New Company") for the collection of the taxes of the state. In 1901, the creation ofUniversidad Nacional Agraria La Molina took place under his sponsorship and that of aBelgian mission. López de Romaña faced variouscoup attempts whose goals were to restore former presidentAndrés Avelino Cáceres to the presidency, but he successfully completed his presidency in 1903. It was under his term that Peruvians coined the term "Aristocratic Republic" which continued until the second government ofAugusto B. Leguía and the hegemony of the Civil Party in the government of the country.[citation needed]
Eduardo Lopez de Romaña died at the Yura mineral springs near Arequipa on May 26, 1912.
López de Romaña married María Josefa de Castresana y García de la Arena on 20 March 1877.[2] The couple had three children.[2] His wife died after the war with Chile and he remarried his former sister-in-law Julia de Castresana.[2] They had six children.[2]
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| Preceded by | President of Peru 1899-1903 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
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