José María Linares
José María Linares Lizarazu (10 July 1808 – 23 October 1861) was a Bolivian lawyer and politician who served as the 13th president of Bolivia from 1857 to 1861. Commencing his political career at a young age, he emerged as a fervent advocate of free trade, liberalism, the exploitation of silver mines, and the establishment of a monopoly on mercury to facilitate the latter objective.
José María Linares | |
|---|---|
| 13th President of Bolivia | |
Provisional | |
| In office 9 September 1857 – 14 January 1861 Provisional: 9 September 1857 – 31 March 1858 Dictator: 31 March 1858 – 14 January 1861 | |
| Preceded by | Jorge Córdova |
| Succeeded by | José María de Achá |
| Minister of the Interior and Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 16 November 1839 – 10 June 1841 | |
| President | José Miguel de Velasco |
| Preceded by | Manuel María Urcullu |
| Succeeded by | Manuel María Urcullu |
| Personal details | |
| Born | José María Linares Lizarazu July 10, 1808 Ticala, Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata (now Bolivia) |
| Died | 23 October 1861 (aged 53) Valparaíso, Chile |
| Spouse | María de las Nieves Frías Gramajo |
| Children | Josefa Sofía Linares Frías |
| Parents |
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| Education | University of San Francisco Xavier |
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Linares served as Minister of the Interior and Foreign Relations in the third cabinet of José Miguel de Velasco, but due to differences with the "Restoration" movement, he had to go into exile in Spain. In 1848, he returned to his country and became the President of the Congress. He defended President Velasco against Manuel Isidoro Belzu, and after Velasco's fall, he fled to Argentina and inspired various conspiracies against Belzu.
In 1857, he overthrew President Jorge Córdova, Belzu's son-in-law, and assumed the presidency. Linares, Bolivia's first civilian president, declared himself dictator in 1858 and confronted the power of the clergy and the military through a reform program. He repressed several uprising attempts, and in 1861, he was deposed by his own supporters and replaced by a triumvirate that sentenced him to exile. The former president fled to Chile, where he died shortly after his exile.