Jerónimo Carrión (1804–1873) was a 19th century politician and lawyer, who served as president of the Republic of Ecuador between 1865 and 1867. He was in charge of the office of the vice-presidency during the government of Francisco Robles and was part of the triumvirate who assumed power in Ecuador after the fall of that government.
He was a leader of the Conservative Party. In his youth he witnessed what happened in the Battle of Pichincha. He was respectful of traditions and laws, a characteristic that was seen by some as a virtue and by others as a defect, since he did not impose his will with a firm hand.
Raúl María Pereira, via Wikimedia Commons
At the time that Carrión held the first national magistracy there was a climate of peace in Ecuador. His mandate was apparently an extension of the García Moreno government, which had propelled him to the presidential seat.
He resigned before the end of his term in office since the conciliatory position shown by some of the members of his cabinet was not well received. Then, the internal opposition became very strong for the mandate of Carrión.
During the two years that Carrión's presidency lasted, the Pedro Carbo de Guaranda and Pedro Vicente Maldonado de Riobamba schools were created, as well as the Guayaquil Conservatory of Music. The National Anthem of Ecuador was also instituted.
Biography
Early years
Miguel Francisco Jerónimo de Carrión Palacio y Escudero was born on July 6, 1801 in Cariamanga, south of Loja, Ecuador. His father was José Benigno Carrión Ludeña and his mother María Josefa Palacio y Escudero.
He obtained the first letters in Loja. From there he went to Cuenca to continue his education and then to Quito, where he was when the Battle of Pichincha occurred in 1822, which consolidated Ecuadorian independence.
Jerónimo Carrión graduated as Doctor of Jurisprudence. At the same time that he began to work as a lawyer, his interest in politics arose, especially in relation to the First Constitution of the newborn country in 1830.
Politics
From the fall of the government of General Flores with the Marcista Revolution, which occurred between March 6 and June 17, 1845, Jerónimo Carrión decided to take an active part in political life and became a deputy to the National Convention in Cuenca., for whose participation he was awarded.
Thanks to his performance in Cuenca, President Vicente Ramón Roca invited Jerónimo Carrión to serve as governor of the Province of Azuay, a position in which he also shone for his good management and honesty.
In the Ecuadorian political circle, the name of Jerónimo Carrión began to stand out due to its favorable references in each position he had held. For this reason, General Francisco Robles decided to assign him the Vice Presidency in 1856.
Carrión was carrying out that position until 1859, when the Robles government ended, which was unknown by the so-called “Junta de Notables”. These events were promoted by Gabriel García Moreno from Quito.
So, a triumvirate was formed in Ecuador to take over the government. Its members included García Moreno, Pacífico Chiriboga and Jerónimo Carrión.
Soon García Moreno, using his position as Supreme Chief, called for the creation of a Constituent Assembly that he legislated in 1861.
government
In 1865, Jerónimo Carrión triumphed in the contest for the presidency of Ecuador, backed by García Moreno and the Conservative Party, against candidates such as José María Caamaño y Arteta, Mariano Cueva, Manuel Gómez de la Torre and Miguel Heredia.
On September 7, 1865 Carrión assumed office. For many, the decision made by García Moreno when choosing him was due to the desire that the next president be a puppet. However, Carrión was a man attached to the law, also independent in his actions.
The following year, the Carrión government had to face the Spanish Naval Squad that threatened the coasts. He allied with the governments of Peru and Chile, then they declared war on Spain.
For those actions it was celebrated in Guayaquil and in a large part of Ecuador. Jerónimo Carrión thus formed his name as a defender of America.
Later, everything turned around for Carrión's mandate, as many were the objections that were made to his minister, Manuel Bustamante. He was accused of being very tolerant, a trait that was not well received at the time.
In 1867 Jerónimo Carrión was urged by García Moreno himself to separate from his position and he did so on November 6 of that same year.
Death
Jerónimo Carrión died on May 5, 1873 in Quito, Ecuador. Apparently he was the victim of pneumonia. He has been kept out of the public eye since his resignation, which had passed six years.
He left María Antonia Andrade y Carrión, who was also his niece, a widow. The couple had no offspring.
Works in his presidency
During the government of Jerónimo Carrión, internal progress was not what the president aspired, since he had to face a war against Spain. However, his presidency introduced improvements in different aspects to the nation.
He supported the Ecuadorian culture. In Carrión's time, the National Anthem written by Juan León Mera and Antonio Neumane was made official. Also in those 22 months, the Guayaquil Conservatory of Music was created.
Education was another of the priorities for Carrión. During his government, schools such as Pedro Carbo de Guaranda and Pedro Vicente Maldonado de Ríobamba were established.
In addition, at the University of Quito the chair of education was opened to train teachers to work in national instruction.
In the economic sphere, Jerónimo Carrión was in charge of paying off the bills delivered by the García Moreno government. Also during this mandate the state revenues were increased and the first stamps of the new nation were printed.
Freedom of the press was one of the aspects that flourished in Ecuador during the time that Carrión was in the first magistracy.
Newspapers that favored the government were created, but opposition newspapers such as Montalvo's called El Cosmopólita were also allowed to circulate.
References
- Avilés Pino, E. (2018). Carrión Dr. Jerónimo - Historical Characters - Encyclopedia Del Ecuador. Encyclopedia Of Ecuador. Available at: encyclopediadelecuador.com.
- En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Jerónimo Carrión. Available at: en.wikipedia.org.
- Garcia-Pelayo and Gross, R. (1983). Little Larousse illustrated. Paris: Larousse, pp. 1193.
- Hora, D. (2018). Jerónimo Carrión, a transitional government - La Hora. La Hora Noticias from Ecuador, its provinces and the world. Available at: lahora.com.ec.
- Vice Presidency of the Government of Ecuador. (2013). Vice Presidents in History. Available at: vicepresidencia.gob.ec.