José María Plácido Caamaño (1837–1900) was a 19th-century lawyer and politician from Guayaquil. He served as president of the Republic 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 times of García Moreno. Despite this, Plácido Caamaño began his life dedicated to private commercial and administrative work, with which he made a small fortune.
Unknown - Presidency of the Republic of Ecuador, via Wikimedia Commons
He was one of the supporters of Ignacio de Veintemilla. Later, when he declared himself a dictator, Caamano 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 draw with Rafael Pérez Pareja, he was the winner in the contest for the first magistracy. That is how Progressism began in Ecuador.
Despite having arrived at the office with the support of the Liberals, Caamano decided to give high positions to the Conservatives. That was the reason that caused the Liberals not only to separate from Caamaño, but also to offer him peace in his mandate.
Biography
Early years
José María Plácido Caamaño Cornejo was born on October 5, 1838 in Guayaquil, Ecuador. His father, José María Caamaño y Arteta, was a candidate for the presidency in 1865. His mother was Mrs. Dolores Cornejo.
The young man attended the Seminary School of Guayaquil, there he received a Bachelor's degree in Philosophy and Letters. Later, Caamaño moved to Quito, where he obtained the title of Doctor of Jurisprudence at the University of the city.
From then on, Caamaño did not practice his profession, but returned to Guayaquil. There he dedicated himself to the administration of the Tenguel estate, which belonged to his family. He was successful as a merchant and found the wherewithal to make a living.
Politics
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.
Caamano 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 Caamano joined a conspiracy against the government.
The plan was discovered and Caamano was exiled to Lima, where he remained for a year. From Peru Caamano financed and organized the expedition from the south of the restorer army, which united liberals and conservatives against Veintemilla.
When that force triumphed, Plácido Caamaño became part of the pentavirate, along with Luis Cordero, Pedro Carbo, José María Sarasti, and Agustín Guerrero. The five constituted 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, which were 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 in office. Thus began in Ecuador a new political era that was known as Progressism.
It was said that Caamano did not bring ancient grudges to the first office, but rather the will of a government of peace and unity in the nation.
However, the ties that united conservatives and liberals against Veintemilla were soon undone by Caamano's trend toward a government made up mostly of conservatives.
That caused the Liberals to decide to fight Caamano, 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 follow him.
Last years
Since 1888 Plácido Caamaño served in diplomatic functions as Minister Plenipotentiary in the United States of America. In 1892 he settled in Guayaquil and was named governor of Guayas.
After a conflict related to the alleged 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 restorative cause.
Death
José María Plácido Caamaño died on December 31, 1900 in Seville, Spain. His life culminated abroad, penniless and subsidized by his wealthy relatives.
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 believed 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, Caamano was not able to carry out all the projects he had outlined, he tried not to abandon public works altogether.
Education was one of the bases of the Caamaño government, in which schools were created throughout the territory. He reestablished some institutions that he financially supported to improve their facilities such as the Military School of Quito or the Nautical School of Guayaquil.
Regarding infrastructure and roads, support was given to the railway works and new roads were created to link 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
- En.wikipedia.org. (2018). José Plácido Caamaño. Available at: en.wikipedia.org.
- Avilés Pino, E. (2018). Caamano Dr. José María Plácido - Historical Characters - Encyclopedia Del Ecuador. Encyclopedia Of Ecuador. Available at: encyclopediadelecuador.com.
- Pérez Pimentel, R. (2018). THE ANGUISHES OF CAAMAÑO. Ecuadorprofundo.com. Available at: ecuadorprofundo.com.
- Garcia-Pelayo and Gross, R. (1983). Little Larousse illustrated. Paris: Larousse, pp. 1176.
- Castellano, P. and Orero Sáez de Tejada, C. (2000). Espasa Encyclopedia. Madrid: Espasa, vol 4, pp. 1915.