Eduardo López de Romaña facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Eduardo López de Romaña
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| 32nd President of Peru | |
| In office September 8, 1899 – September 8, 1903 |
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| Vice President | Isaac Alzamora Federico Bresani |
| Preceded by | Nicolás de Piérola |
| Succeeded by | Manuel Candamo |
| Minister of Public Works | |
| In office 25 January 1896 – 8 August 1896 |
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| President | Nicolás de Piérola |
| Preceded by | Office created |
| Succeeded by | Manuel J. Cuadros |
| 1st Vice President of the Chamber of Deputies | |
| In office 1895–1896 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
José Gabriel Eduardo Octavio López de Romaña y Alvizuri
19 March 1847 Arequipa, Peru |
| Died | 26 May 1912 (age 65) Yura, Peru |
| Spouses | María Josefa de Castresana y García de la Arena Julia de Castresana y García de la Arena |
| Children | Eduardo, Carlos, Hortencia, Juan, Luis, Catalina, Julia, Fernando and Francisco |
| Parents | Juan Manuel López de Romaña y Fernández Pascua María Josefa Alvizuri y Bustamante |
| Alma mater | King's College London |
Eduardo López de Romaña y Alvizuri (born March 19, 1847 – died May 26, 1912) was the 32nd President of Peru. He served from September 1899 to September 1903. He was the first engineer to become president. He came from a wealthy family who owned a lot of land.
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Early Life and Education
Eduardo López de Romaña was born in Arequipa, Peru. His parents were Juan Manuel López de Romaña y Fernández Pascua and María Josefa Alvizuri y Bustamante. His father was a rich landowner with Spanish roots. The family owned large farms and estates in Southern Peru.
Eduardo went to school at the San Jerónimo Seminary in Arequipa. He also studied at Stonyhurst College in England. In 1868, he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from King's College London. By 1872, he became a member of the Institute of Civil Engineers in London.
Working as an Engineer
After his studies, Eduardo traveled to India. There, he helped build the Ravi Bridge for a railway company. Later, he went to Brazil. He worked on building a railroad line from the Madeira River to the Mamoré River. This was a very difficult project because of the unhealthy climate. Many engineers working there got sick.
Return to Peru and Public Service
Eduardo returned to Peru in 1874. He started managing one of his family's farms in the Tambo Valley. He also worked on developing agriculture and engineering in Peru.
When the War of the Pacific with Chile began in 1879, he joined the military. He was put in charge of a group of soldiers in Tambo. His group helped stop the Chilean Army from entering Arequipa city. They forced the Chilean soldiers to leave by ship. In 1882, the Chileans attacked again. Eduardo's forces fought them off at first. However, Arequipa eventually surrendered to the Chilean army.
After the war, he lived in Arequipa. He became the President of the Liberal Club. He also served three times as a Director of Public Charity in the city.
Entering Politics
In 1895, Eduardo was elected as a representative for Arequipa in the Peruvian Congress. He became the First Vice-President of the Chamber of Deputies. In 1896, President Nicolás de Piérola created a new government department. It was called the Ministry of Public Works. Eduardo was chosen to lead this ministry. However, his time in this role lasted less than seven months.
The next year, he was elected Mayor of Arequipa. But he had to resign because of a conflict of interest. This happened because of his involvement in city building projects. In 1898, he was elected as a Senator for Ayacucho.
In 1899, it was time for a new presidential election. The main political group offered the presidency to Eduardo's brother, Alejandro. But Alejandro said no and suggested Eduardo instead. Eduardo was an independent politician, meaning he didn't belong to a specific party.
President of Peru (1899–1903)
As president, Eduardo López de Romaña faced some challenges. The government was divided. One group, the Democrats, had more power in the Chamber of Deputies. Another group, the Civilistas, had more power in the Senate. This led to disagreements.
President López de Romaña mostly chose Civilistas for his government team. This made the Democrats, who were the majority in the Chamber of Deputies, unhappy. They often disagreed with his choices.
Key Achievements as President
Even with these political challenges, Peru continued to grow.
- New Laws: Important new laws were created during his time. These included the mining law in 1901. Laws for trade and water use were also passed in 1902.
- New Company: He created a new company to help collect state taxes.
- Education: In 1901, he helped create the Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina. This is a national agricultural university. It was started with help from a team from Belgium.
President López de Romaña also faced some attempts to remove him from power. These were in favor of former president Andrés Avelino Cáceres. However, he successfully finished his full term as president in 1903. During his presidency, Peruvians started using the term "Aristocratic Republic." This described a time when wealthy families had a lot of influence in the government. This period continued for many years.
Death
Eduardo López de Romaña passed away on May 26, 1912. He died at the Yura mineral springs, which are near Arequipa.
Family Life
Eduardo López de Romaña married María Josefa de Castresana y García de la Arena on March 20, 1877. They had three children together. After the war with Chile, his wife died. He then married his first wife's sister, Julia de Castresana. They had six more children.
See also
In Spanish: Eduardo López de Romaña para niños
- Politics of Peru
- List of presidents of Peru
