Francisco Robles (1811–1893) was a Guayaquil politician and military man who served as president of the Republic of Ecuador between 1856 and 1859. From an early age he joined the Guayaquil Navy and at age 17 he fought his first battle. Later, Robles also dedicated himself to the military and finally to politics.
Because of his liberal stance, Robles opposed the government of García Moreno and collaborated with General Ignacio de Veintemilla in his rise to power in Ecuador.
Unknown - Presidency of the Republic of Ecuador, via Wikimedia Commons
In 1856 Robles was the first to win his position with open elections, however, at that time a census system was used in which only men with a certain level of income voted, so the electoral population was small.
During his government, Robles advocated the creation of educational establishments, approved the creation of the Civil Code and abolished indigenous taxes. In September 1959 he was imprisoned and exiled to Chile, but from there he headed towards Peru, where he settled during the García Moreno government.
Biography
Early years
Francisco Robles García was born on May 5, 1811 in Guayaquil, Ecuador. He was the youngest of the nine children of Lupercio de Robles Pacheco, who was a merchant and farmer, and of Manuela García and Coronel.
From the time of the Revolution of October 9, 1820, the young Robles showed military inclinations, although at that time he was only 9 years old. Upon completing his primary education, Robles entered the Nautical School directed by General Juan Illingworth in Guayaquil.
When he was only two years old enlisted in the navy, he traveled with the rest of the students and teachers to Panama to face the Spanish squad in the Caribbean Sea, but circumstances did not allow the conflict.
In August 1828, when he was 17 years old, Robles participated in the Punta Malpelo combat. At that time he held the position of Lieutenant of Fragata. He was under the command of Tomás Carlos Wright aboard La Guayaquileña, an Ecuadorian schooner that faced the Peruvian corvette Libertad.
Later they would talk about the bravery that Robles showed in battle, which is why he was recommended for promotion. Later he defended the port of Guayaquil from the Peruvian siege and the promotion was granted to Alférez de Navío.
Race
In 1833, General Flores ordered the exile of several Guayaquil residents, among them Francisco Robles, since he considered him a threat for standing out among the officers of his rank. However, this resolution was never fulfilled.
Francisco Robles married in 1836 with Carmen de Santistevan y Avilés, sister of his sister-in-law Francisca. They had three children, of whom only two reached adulthood: Ignacio Robles y Santistevan (1839) and Dolores Robles y Santistevan (1841).
He had four children out of wedlock, with a relative of his wife named Manuela Avilés. He recognized and supported all of them financially (Luis Felipe, Fernando, Victoria and María).
Near the time of his marriage, Robles decided to retire from the navy when he held the position of Lieutenant of the Ship. He then briefly devoted himself to agriculture, but soon returned to Guayaquil and in 1843 he was assigned as Commander of the Guayas war steamer.
Two years later he participated in the Marcista Revolution, where Robles fought against the forces of General Flores. In 1847 he served as governor of Guayas.
Then he was promoted to Colonel and in 1851 he proclaimed the Supreme Headquarters of General Urbina, who was elected a year later as President of the Republic of Ecuador and appointed him Minister of War and Navy.
Presidency
During the government of General Urbina, Robles prepared the political ground to launch his candidacy for the presidency of Ecuador and, in effect, the Executive nominated his name in 1855 for the elections.
Francisco Robles was a popular man, so he had no problem winning the contest by a wide margin. However, most of his merits were in battle and not in the intellectual field.
Within Ecuador, the outlook for Robles' mandate was positive. He created several teaching institutions, such as the Unión College, the Instituto de Señoritas in Loja, the Colegio Bolívar or the Instituto Científico in Latacunga.
At the same time he gave his approval for the Civil Code, which was inspired by that of the Republic of Chile. He also continued with the project to abolish indigenous tributes that General Urbina had started in his government.
He tried to pay the English debt by granting lands that were to the east and west of Guayas, Los Ríos and Esmeraldas. Upon learning of this, the Peruvians filed complaints considering that they had a right over this territory.
In October 1857, the war between Ecuador and Peru began, which began with the blockade of Ecuadorian ports by Peruvian vessels and unleashed a national crisis.
Exile
In the midst of the crisis, García Moreno decided to rise up against the Robles government. Then, the commander of the Guayas, General Guillermo Franco, decided to proclaim himself Supreme Chief of Guayaquil on September 17, 1859.
Francisco Robles was exiled on September 20 and left for Valparaíso, in Chile. There he remained for three years. Then he decided to go to Lima, Peru, where he made his residence. From there, together with the other exiles he tried to carry out an invasion that was thwarted in 1865.
When General Ignacio de Veintemilla assumed the government, in 1876, he requested the return of Robles, whom he appointed general commander of the First Division and, exercising that position, defeated the constitutional forces in Los Molinos.
From then on he retired from political life and was appointed Tax Collector until 1883, when he devoted himself to private life. From that moment he was busy managing his estates, which until then had been looked after by his son Ignacio.
Death
Francisco Robles died in Guayaquil on March 11, 1893, at the age of 81. His death is considered to have been due to his advanced age.
References
- Avilés Pino, E. (2018). Robles Gral. Francisco - Historical Characters - Encyclopedia Del Ecuador. Encyclopedia Of Ecuador. Available at: encyclopediadelecuador.com
- En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Francisco Robles. Available at: en.wikipedia.org
- Well, M. (2007). The Little Larousse Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary 2007. 13th ed. Bogotá (Colombia): Printer Colombiana, p.1646.
- Pérez Pimentel, R. (2018). FRANCISCO ROBLES GARCIA. Biographical Dictionary of Ecuador. Available at:biograficoecuador.com
- Presidency of the Republic of Ecuador. (2018). History of the Presidents - Francisco Robles García. Available at: web.archive.org.