Antonio José de Sucre
February 3, 1795 – June 4, 1830
Venezuelan general and Bolívar's closest lieutenant, who won the Battle of Ayacucho in 1824 and was the first president of Bolivia.
Biography
Antonio José de Sucre was born in 1795 in Cumaná, Venezuela, into an aristocratic family of Flemish origin. He joined the revolt against Spanish rule in 1814 and quickly proved a capable officer, becoming one of Simón Bolívar's most trusted lieutenants.
In May 1822 he defeated the royalists at Pichincha, freeing Quito and the territory that became Ecuador. On 9 December 1824 he commanded the patriot army that won the decisive battle of Ayacucho, defeating Viceroy José de la Serna and ending Spanish power in Peru; he was made Grand Marshal of Ayacucho.
Sucre then entered Upper Peru, where the remaining royalist forces collapsed, and convened the assembly that declared the region's independence in August 1825 as the republic named after Bolívar. He became Bolivia's president and organised its army and administration, but opposition to Bolívar and his followers grew and he resigned in 1828.
Recalled during the war between Gran Colombia and Peru, he defeated the Peruvian army at Tarqui in February 1829. On 4 June 1830, while travelling to Quito, he was ambushed and shot at Berruecos in southern Colombia; the confessed killers named General José María Obando as the instigator. He is buried in Quito Cathedral.
Offices held
José de la Riva Agüero Succeeded by
José María Pérez de Urdininea
2 terms
- Jun 23, 1823 – Jul 17, 1823 Peru Preceded by José de la Riva Agüero Succeeded by Simón Bolívar
- Dec 29, 1825 – Apr 18, 1828 Bolivia Preceded by Simón Bolívar Succeeded by José María Pérez de Urdininea
