Rafael Urdaneta (24 October 1788-23 August 1845) was President of Gran Colombia from 5 September 1830 to 2 May 1831, succeeding Joaquin Mosquera and preceding Domingo Caycedo.
Biography[]
Rafael Urdaneta was born in Maracaibo, Captaincy General of Venezuela in 1788, and he was educated in Latin and philosophy before joining the Spanish Army and later the patriot army during the Venezuelan War of Independence. He participated in Simon Bolivar's Admirable Campaign in 1813-1814, and he became a lieutenant-general at age 26 and became one of Bolivar's closest friends and collaborators. In 1828, he was made Minister of War, and he judged the traitors behind the Noche Septembrina conspiracy, sentencing Francisco de Paula Santander to death before Bolivar commuted the sentence to exile. After the assassination of Antonio Jose de Sucre in 1830 and the collapse of Gran Colombia, Urdaneta seized power in September 1830, but he failed to persuade Bolivar to reassume power. He was himself overthrown by generals Jose Maria Obando and Jose Hilario Lopez and replaced by Domingo Caycedo. In 1845, he was appointed ambassador to Spain, but he died in Paris before reaching Spain.