Soublette, Carlos (1789–1870)

Carlos Soublette (b. 15 December 1789; d. 11 February 1870), president of Venezuela (1837–1839, 1843–1847). Between 1810 and 1869, Soublette served Venezuelan governments as a soldier and a civilian. Perhaps no other military officer of his generation equaled his reputation for honesty and efficiency. Soublette served twice as president, between 1837 and 1839, following the resignation of José María Vargas, and between 1843 and 1847. A staunch ally of José Antonio Páez and a Conservative oligarch, he earned a reputation as a cautious but able administrator. His career as a politician included other important positions: vice president (1821, 1836–1837, 1839–1841), minister of war and marine (1825–1827, 1841–1842), and minister plenipotentiary to Europe (1835–1836). Forced into exile in 1848 as a result of the collapse of the Páez faction, Soublette returned in 1858, after the downfall of the Monagas regime, and served in various capacities as a military officer and as a senator, deputy, and minister between 1859 and 1869.

See alsoPáez, José Antonio; Vargas, José María.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Francisco González Guinán, Historia contemporánea de Venezuela, vol. 3 (1954).

Juan Bautista Querales D., comp., Estudios sobre el General Carlos Soublette (1977) and Soublette y la prensa de su época (1980).

Ligia Delgado and Magaly Burguera, comps., Carlos Soublette, correspondencia, 3 vols. (1981).

Additional Bibliography

Carvallo, Gastón. Próceres, caudillos y rebeldes: Crisis del sistema de dominación en Venezuela, 1830–1908. Caracas: Grijalbo, 1994.

Zahler, Reuben. "Honor, Corruption, and Legitimacy: Liberal Projects in the Early Venezualan Republic, 1821–50." Ph.D. diss., University of Chicago, 2005.

                              Winthrop R. Wright