Patricio Rivas

Patricio Rivas
Patricio Rivas
President of Nicaragua; Provisional
	In office; 25 October 1855 – 24 June 1857
Preceded by	Jose Maria Estrada
Succeeded by	Government Junta ; William Walker; (Usurper); Tomás Martínez; (As President)
Supreme Director of Nicaragua; Acting
	In office; 30 June 1839 – 27 July 1839
Leader	Casto Fonseca
Preceded by	Evaristo Rocha; (Acting); Joaquín del Cossío; (Acting, until May 15)
Succeeded by	Joaquín del Cossío; (Acting)
	In office; 21 September 1840 – 4 March 1841
Preceded by	Tomás Valladares (Acting)
Succeeded by	Pablo Buitrago
Personal details
Born	1810
Died	July 12, 1867 (aged 56–57); León, Nicaragua
Nationality	Nicaraguan
Political party	Democratic
Occupation	Politician

Patricio Rivas (1810 – July 12, 1867) was a wealthy liberal Nicaraguan lawyer and politician, member of the Democratic Party, who served as Acting Supreme Director of Nicaragua from June 30, 1839 to July 27, 1839 and from September 21, 1840 to March 4, 1841. Later he served as a president of one of the several competing governments of Nicaragua from October 30, 1855 to June 24, 1857.[1] However, he was merely a puppet president; rule was held by William Walker.

As Supreme Director

When Nicaragua gained its independence under Dr. José Núñez on 30 April 1838, the first government was a transitional one, first transitioning into full independence and then to a constitutional order.[2] Núñez would resign very quickly in, handing over power to Joaquín del Cossío, but Evaristo Rocha also took that position and they both ruled somewhat jointly until 30 June 1839.[3]

First and Second Terms

On 30 June 1839 Rocha handed over power to Rivas, who essentially served as acting leader of the second transitional government until 27 July the same year, when he handed over power to Cossío once again.

During Cossío's second term he ended the transitional government and began preparing the state for elections, after which he handed over power to Hilario Ulloa to serve as Acting Supreme Director, but Ulloa quickly resigned and gave power to Tomás Valladares.[4]

Valladares also resigned very quickly and was replaced by Rivas once again, who would oversee the 1841 elections which were won by Pablo Buitrago y Benavente.[5]

As President

In 1855, Patricio Rivas was appointed Provisional President as a result of an agreement signed in Granada between the Legitimist General Ponciano Corral and the filibuster William Walker, de facto head of the democratic side. This agreement was rejected by the legitimist José María Estrada who was the acting president.

Rivas had the support of Walker at the beginning of his government. Due to the patriotic attitude of the government of the Costa Rican President Juan Rafael Mora Porras against the presence of the filibusters in Nicaragua, the government of Rivas declared war on Costa Rica in early 1856, invading Guanacaste. However, the Costa Ricans commanded by Juan Rafael Mora, defeated the filibusters in the battle of Santa Rosa and the Second Battle of Rivas (not to be confused with the First Battle of June 29, 1855, and in which Enmanuele Mongalo had a heroic role to burn the Mesón de Máximo Espinoza).

The candidacies of Rivas, Máximo Jerez, and Trinidad Salazar were presented at convened elections to elect a new president. None obtained an absolute majority and it seemed that Congress was going to choose Jerez. However, Walker wanted to be called new elections. Rivas, eager to get rid of the tutelage of the filibuster, moved from Granada to León, where Walker arrived in June 1856, still in apparent cordiality. But, when Walker left, Rivas moved the government to Chinandega and repealed his decree calling for elections. Walker then announced in Granada the deposition of Rivas and his replacement by the proxy government of Fermín Ferrer.

Rivas declared Walker a traitor in Nicaragua, and remained at the head of the government in the western region of the country, where the armies of Guatemala and El Salvador arrived shortly after, attacking the cities of Granada and Masaya. For its part, the Costa Rican army expelled the filibusters from the San Juan river basin.

Walker capitulated on May 1, 1857. Shortly thereafter, on June 24, a triumvirate took office, composed of Máximo Jerez and Tomás Martínez Guerrero, which ended the turbulent government of Patricio Rivas.

Rivas was popularly known with the nickname of "Patas Arribas".

References

"Gobernantes de Nicaragua". Ministerio de Educación. 9 December 2012. Archived from the original on 9 October 2012.
Hubert Howe Bancroft: HISTORY OF CENTRAL AMERICA. VOL. III. 1801-1887, THE HISTORY COMPANY, PUBLISHERS SAN FRANCISCO, 1887
"Presidentes de Nicaragua". www.nicaragua-actual.info. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
Andrés Vega Bolaños (1944). «Gobernantes de Nicaragua» p. 81
La Prensa, 20 DE NOVIEMBRE DEL 2001, Historia de las elecciones at the Wayback Machine (archived 31 October 2012)

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[mined-1] "Gobernantes de Nicaragua". Ministerio de Educación. 9 December 2012. Archived from the original on 9 October 2012.

[Bancroft-2] Hubert Howe Bancroft: HISTORY OF CENTRAL AMERICA. VOL. III. 1801-1887, THE HISTORY COMPANY, PUBLISHERS SAN FRANCISCO, 1887

[3] "Presidentes de Nicaragua". www.nicaragua-actual.info. Retrieved 12 June 2018.

[4] Andrés Vega Bolaños (1944). «Gobernantes de Nicaragua» p. 81

[lp20011120-5] La Prensa, 20 DE NOVIEMBRE DEL 2001, Historia de las elecciones at the Wayback Machine (archived 31 October 2012)