Pedro Diez Canseco (31 January 1815-3 April 1893) was President of Peru from 9 April to 5 August 1863 (succeeding Ramon Castilla and preceding Juan Antonio Pezet), from 8 to 28 November 1865 (succeeding Pezet and preceding Mariano Ignacio Prado), and from 7 January to 2 August 1868 (succeeding Prado and preceding Jose Balta).
Biography[]
Pedro Diez Canseco was born in Arequipa, Viceroyalty of Peru in 1815, the brother of Francisco Diez Canseco and Manuel Diez Canseco and the brother-in-law of Ramon Castilla. He joined the Peruvian Army in 1834 and fought for Luis Jose de Orbegoso during the civil war of 1834 and for the Restoration Army of Peru during the War of the Confederation. He later served under Agustin Gamarra until his death after the Battle of Ingavi, and Diez joined Domingo Nieto's liberal revolution against Juan Crisostomo Torrico, fighting at the 1842 Battle of Agua Santa and the 1844 Battle of Carmen Alto. He rose to the rank of brigadier general after taking part in Castilla's 1855 revolution. Diez was elected Vice President in 1862 and assumed the presidency on Miguel de San Roman's death in 1863, but the military initially backed Castilla as head of state. In 1865, Mariano Ignacio Prado revolted against President Juan Antonio Pezet after he signed a peace treaty with Spain, and Diez sided with the rebels and helped seize power as interim president. He returned to the presidency in 1868 after Prado's dictatorship proved unpopular and sparked rebellions. Diez then called elections and stood down, handing over power to Jose Balta. He died in 1893.