Jacinta Parejo

Jacinta Parejo de Crespo (better known as Misia Jacinta) (August 16, 1845April 16, 1914) was a Venezuelan public figure and the First Lady of Venezuela from 1884 to 1886 and from 1892 to 1898 during the presidential terms of Joaquín Crespo.[1] Parejo was the first woman in Venezuela to intercede in official policy in a very involved fashion. She held government meetings, worked on projects of the head of state, and at times interceded on the behalf of political prisoners.[1] Her second husband was killed in battle in 1898[2] and Parejo afterwards became the defender of their family's legacy.[1] VenezuelaTuya states that the legal succession of Parejo and Crespo was "one of the biggest legal disputes of the early twentieth century in Venezuela."[1]

Jacinta Parejo
First Lady of Venezuela
PresidentJoaquín Crespo
In role
April 26, 1884  September 15, 1886
Preceded byAna Teresa Ibarra Urbaneja
Succeeded byAna Teresa Ibarra Urbaneja
In role
October 7, 1892  February 28, 1898
Preceded byIsabel González Esteves
Succeeded byMaría Isabel Sosa Saa
Personal details
Born(1845-08-16)August 16, 1845
Parapara, Guárico
DiedApril 16, 1914(1914-04-16) (aged 68)
Caracas
NationalityVenezuela
Spouse(s)Saturnino Silva
Joaquín Crespo
Signature

Early life

Jacinta Parejo de Crespo was born on August 16, 1845 to Juan Parejo and Maria Josefa Parejo in Guárico.[1] on August 8, 1861, she married General Saturnino Silva. Silva died in combat during the Federal War.[1] In the aftermath of the death, she met General Joaquín Crespo. Crespo, like her, was native to Guarico and was as well a confidant to then Vice President to General Antonio Guzman Blanco.[1] She and Crespo married on September 18, 1864.[1] She remained married to Crespo during his subsequent positions in the Venezuelan government.[1]

Political career

1884-1886: First term as First Lady

She first served as First Lady of Venezuela from 1884[1] until 1886.[1] Parejo was the first woman in Venezuela to intercede in official policy in such a fashion. She held meetings, worked on projects of the head of state, and at times interceded on the behalf of political prisoners to Crespo.[1]

1892: Legalist Revolution and final term

According to Venezuelatuya, Crespo relied greatly on her advice and confidence during his career, and asserts that in 1892 she "made up for the lack of committees or revolutionary juntas in the clandestine organization of the Legalista Revolution."[1] While Crespo campaigned with the military in remote areas of Venezuela, Parejo lived in Caracas and contributed to the campaign through secret correspondence and shipping items to officers at the battlefront.[1] On June 17, 1892,[3] Parejo's husband overthrew President Raimundo Andueza Palacio.[1] Following the resignation of subsequent president Guillermo Tell Villegas[4] during the crisis of the Legalist Revolution,[5] Guillermo Tell Villegas Pulido was selected by the Federal Council as the provisional president of Venezuela in August 1892.[6] After Crespo established himself as president by force in October 1892, Villegas Pulido left the country.[6] She again became First Lady on October 7, 1892.[1]

1893-1898: End of term and late life

Drawing depicting the moment Parejo receives condolences from Juan Pietri on the death of Crespo.

In 1897, Crespo did not campaign for a third presidential term but supported Ignacio Andrade against key opponent Jose Manuel Hernandez. Andrade won the election,[7] and his wife María Isabel Sosa Saa replaced Parejo as First Lady on February 28, 1898.[1] Hernandez decried the results as fraudulent and took up arms. Hernandez was quickly defeated, with resultant political turmoil.[7] Crespo was killed in battle on April 16, 1898[2] in the Battle of Mata Carmelera while defending the government of Ignacio Andrade.[1] Parejo afterwards became the defender of their family's legacy. According to VenezuelaTuya, while grieving, she failed to prevent several lawsuits, particularly one filed by the Colombian general Vicente Sebastián Mestre. Sebastián claimed that he was owed Bs. 700,000 in damages for a canceled military contract.[1]

Death and legacy

Parejo died on April 16, 1914 in Caracas.[1] According to VenezuelaTuya, the legal succession of Parejo and Crespo is "one of the biggest legal disputes of the early twentieth century in Venezuela." According to the dispute, popular traditions holds that Crespo allegedly had a first mistress and never lived in the Miraflores Palace, dubbed "The House of Misia Jacinta."[1]

During the crisis in Bolivarian Venezuela, the tomb of Crespo and his wife Jacinta was looted and vandalized, leaving their bodies exposed to the elements.[8]

See also

References

  1. (in Spanish) Jacinta Parejo de Crespo at Venezuelatuya.com
  2. Shaw, Albert (1898). "Obituaries". The American Monthly Review of Reviews. New York: The Review of Reviews Co.: 539.
  3. (in Spanish) Raimundo Andueza Palacio
  4. Gobierno en Línea - Nuestros Presidentes
  5. (in Spanish) Historia de Venezuela / Tomas del poder Archived 31 March 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  6. "Guillermo Tell Villegas Pulido". VenezuelaTuya.com. Retrieved August 11, 2016.
  7. "Ignacio Andrade". www.biografiasyvidas.com. Biografias y Vidas. Retrieved August 31, 2016.
  8. "Diputado Richard Blanco denuncia destrozos en el panteón de Joaquín Crespo en el Cementerio General del Sur (video)". La Patilla (in Spanish). Retrieved 2018-04-20.
Honorary titles
Preceded by
Ana Teresa Ibarra Urbaneja
First Lady of Venezuela
1884–1886
Succeeded by
Ana Teresa Ibarra Urbaneja
Preceded by
Isabel González Esteves
First Lady of Venezuela
1892–1898
Succeeded by
María Isabel Sosa Saa
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