| Juan Isidro Pérez | |
|---|---|
 Bust of Pérez in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic | |
| Born | November 19, 1817 Santo Domingo, Captaincy General of Santo Domingo |
| Died | February 7, 1868 (aged 50) Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic |
| Occupation(s) | Revolutionary leader, activist, politician |
| Years active | 1838-1868 |
| Known for | Co-founder of Dominican Republic |
| Movement | La Trinitaria |
| Parents |
|
Juan Isidro Pérez de la Paz (November 19, 1817 – February 7, 1868) was a Dominican activist who was a key member and co-founder of the secret society La Trinitaria. He was a hero of the Dominican War of Independence.
Early life
He was born in Santo Domingo on November 19, 1817. He was the son of María Josefa Pérez de la Paz y Valerio (1788–1855), and the priest Valentín Morales. He was the uncle of Juan Isidro Jimenes and brother-in-law of Manuel Jimenes. He was a student of Gaspar Hernández, with whom he studied Latin and philosophy. He was also known for his skills as a swordsman.
Activism
He actively fought against the Haitian leader Jean Pierre Boyer in the Reform Movement carried out in Praslin in 1843. That same year, he was declared captain of one of the companies of the National Guard. Due to the persecution launched by the Haitians, Juan Isidro Pérez was one of the rebels who was forced to abandon the cause along with Juan Pablo Duarte and Pedro Alejandro Pina. They returned months later in March 1844 aboard the schooner-brig Leonor, shortly after the Dominican independence was proclaimed.
Following the coup d'état led by Brigadier General Juan Pablo Duarte on June 9, 1844, he served as Secretary of the Central Governing Board of the Dominican Republic.
On July 15, two days after Major General Pedro Santana had been proclaimed Supreme Chief, Perez went to the Central Board to inform it of its reorganization. During those moments, Pérez had an incident with a supporter of Santana, called Juan Ruiz; Ruiz claimed that the Board had been dissolved after the proclamation of Santana as Supreme Chief and Pérez would protest against this declaration. They went from arguing to threatening each other and then things escalated after they took out their weapons; Santana would intervene to avoid a tragedy but Pérez would shout at him in a threatening manner: "If Rome had a Brutus, Santo Domingo has one too." Some of Santana's officers, believing that it was a plot to assassinate him, rushed out to the Plaza de Armas while shouting: "To arms, to arms; assassinate Santana." The entire population went to the Plaza de Armas; Some people said "the general is dead" and others shouted: "No, nothing has happened to him, General Santana is alive." Pérez was saved from a lynching by the Seyban troops, devotees of Santana, by the intervention of Colonel Felipe Alfau and was welcomed in the house of the French consul, Eustache Juchereau de Saint-Denys.
On August 22, he was exiled along with Juan Pablo Duarte and other activists and declared a "traitor to the country" by the Santana government.
In exile he showed signs of dementia, returning to the nation in 1848. Pejoratively called "The Illustrious Madman," he was imprisoned several times.
Death
He died on February 7, 1868, of cholera, in the Military Hospital of Santo Domingo.
See also
References
- ^ Peña, Ángela (30 January 2005). "Josefa Pérez de la Paz, la valerosa mujer que prestó su casa para fundar la Trinitaria". Hoy. Archived from the original on 10 December 2014. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
- "Parentescos entre primeras damas y presidentes (1 de 4)". Cápsulas Genealógicas en Areíto. Santo Domingo: Instituto Dominicano de Genealogía. 12 March 2011. Archived from the original on 10 December 2014. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
- Guerra Sánchez, Antonio José Ignacio (3 June 2006). "Descendencias sacerdotales: El padre Morales". Cápsulas Genealógicas en Areíto. Instituto Dominicano de Genealogía. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
- "MEXICO, NOVIEMBRE 2 DE 1844. REPUBLICA DOMINICANA". Diario del Gobierno de la República Mexicana. Ciudad de México. 18 November 1844.
- Rodríguez Demorizi, Emilio (1996). Correspondencia del cónsul de Francia en Santo Domingo, 1844-1846. Edición y Notas de Rodríguez Demorizi. Traducción de Mu-Kien Adriana Sang (PDF). Santo Domingo.
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