List of governors of Santander

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The governor of the Department Santander heads the executive branch of the government of the Colombian department of Santander. The governor is the highest-ranking official in the department, serving as the main agent for the president of Colombia to carry on the task of maintaining public order and the execution of the general economic policy, and all matters of law passed down for the nation. The current governor is Horacio Serpa Uribe.

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Coat of arms of Santander Department.svg
Eustorgio Salgar, three times President of the State of Santander and deputy for the States of Tolima, Santander, Cundinamarca. President of the Sovereign State of Cundinamarca (1874-1876). President of the United States of Colombia (1870-1872). Eustorgio Salgar.jpg
Eustorgio Salgar , three times President of the State of Santander and deputy for the States of Tolima, Santander, Cundinamarca. President of the Sovereign State of Cundinamarca (1874–1876). President of the United States of Colombia (1870–1872).
General Solon Wilches, twice president of the State of Santander, and presidential candidate in 1870 and 1872. Solon Wilches.jpg
General Solón Wilches, twice president of the State of Santander, and presidential candidate in 1870 and 1872.
Aquileo Parra Gomez President of Santander, and President of the United States of Colombia (1876-1878). Aquileo Parra Gomez.jpg
Aquileo Parra Gómez President of Santander, and President of the United States of Colombia (1876–1878).
Ramon Gonzalez Valencia Governor of the Department of Santander, and Vice-president of Colombia in 1904. Ramon Gonzalez Valencia.jpg
Ramón González Valencia Governor of the Department of Santander, and Vice-president of Colombia in 1904.

Presidents of the Sovereign State of Santander

The Sovereign State of Santander was created on May 13, 1857 as the third Sovereign State of the Republic of New Granada. The state would be an independent entity within the country ruled by a president which would be elected by the State Congress. The president of the state would act as the governor of the region but with more power and independence from the central government, in turn, the title of governor was given to the heads of government of the provinces of the state.

Many presidents of the state, due to the great amount of power they held, and the political importance of the region, went on to become Presidents of the Nation, and others went on to become important political figures in Congress or other areas.

On April 8, 1859, Congress passed a law giving the president of the country, then the Granadine Confederation, the right to remove the duly appointed governors of the states and appoint one of his choosing. With this law, the president secured the power of the Conservative Party. This changed the practice of a state-elected executive representative; instead the president of Colombia would appoint the president or governor of the state or department; this went on till 1991.

TenureIncumbent president
Took officeLeft office
October 16, 1857October 23, 1857 Estanislao Silva Calderón
October 23, 18571858 Manuel Murillo Toro
18581858 Ulpiano Valenzuela
18581858 Vicente Herrera
18591859 Manuel Murillo Toro
March 12, 1859March 18, 1859 Vicente Herrera
March 18, 1859March 21, 1859 Luis Flórez
March 21, 1859April 3, 1859 Evaristo Azuero
April 3, 1859November 23, 1859 Eustorgio Salgar
November 23, 1859January 1, 1860 Ulpiano Valenzuela
January 1, 1860February 1, 1860 Antonio María Pradilla Rueda
February 1, 1860February 29, 1860 José María Villamizar Gallardo
February 29, 1860May 6, 1860 Marco Antonio Estrada
May 6, 1860August 16, 1860 Antonio María Pradilla Rueda
August 16, 1860September 8, 1860Federal Intervention, State government suspended
September 8, 18601861 Marco Antonio Estrada
18611862 Leonardo Canal González
18621862 Adolfo Harker Mutis
18621863 Eustorgio Salgar
18631864 Pedro Quintero Jácome
1864June 6, 1864 Eustorgio Salgar
June 7, 1864October 11, 1864 Rafael Otero Navarro
October 11, 1864October 1, 1866 José María Villamizar Gallardo
October 1, 1866September 24, 1868 Victoriano de Diego y Paredes
September 24, 1868October 1, 1868 Narciso Cadena Uribe
October 1, 1868March 14, 1870 Eustorgio Salgar
March 14, 1870March 30, 1870 Narciso Cadena Uribe
March 30, 1870October 1, 1872 Solón Wilches
October 1, 1872September 15, 1874 Narciso Cadena Uribe
September 15, 1874May 16, 1875 Germán Vargas Santos
May 16, 1875May 25, 1876 Aquileo Parra Gómez
May 25, 18761876 Francisco Muñoz
18761877 Marco Antonio Estrada
18771877 Francisco Muñoz
18771877 Marco Antonio Estrada
18771877 Domingo Castro
18771877 Francisco Muñoz
18771877 Domingo Castro
1877October 1, 1878 Marco Antonio Estrada
October 1, 18781883 Solón Wilches
18831883 Vicente Villamizar
October 1, 1883September 9, 1884 Solón Wilches
September 9, 18841885 Narciso González Lineros
1885August 5, 1886 Antonio Roldán
18861886 Alejandro Peña Solano

Governors of the Department of Santander

Governor Eduardo Santos Montejo Esm.jpg
Governor Eduardo Santos Montejo

In 1886 the states were abolished and Santander became a Department under direct authority of the central government.

In 1910 the northern part of the department was detached to form the new Department of Norte de Santander separately represented by their own Governor.

TenureIncumbent governor
Took officeLeft office
18861887 Alejandro Peña Solano
18871888 Antonio Roldán
18881888 Vicente Villamizar
18881889 Guillermo Quintero
18891890 Aurelio Mutis
18901895 Guillermo Quintero
18951896 José Santos
18961886 Antonio Roldán
11861897 Roso Cala
18971898 Aurelio Mutis
18981899 Roso Cala
18991900 Alejandro Peña Solano
19001900 Carlos J. Delgado
19001901 Ramón González Valencia
19011901 Carlos Matamoros
19011902 Juan Francisco Mantilla
19021903 Antonio Barrera Forero
19031904 Ramón González Valencia
19041904 Carlos Matamoros
19041904 Jesús Cuervo Márquez
19041905 Alejandro Peña Solano
19051906 Santiago Rizo
19061907 Alejandro Peña Solano
19071908 Gabino Navas
19081909 Alejandro Peña Solano
19091911 Eugenio Andrade Suescún
19111913 Antonio Barrera Forero
19131916 Manuel María Valdivieso Valencia
19161917 Ernesto Valderrama
19181921 Luis Mejía
19211823 José María García
1923December 1924 Emilio Pradilla González
December 1924December 19, 1926 Arturo Mantilla
December 19, 19261928 Juan de la Cruz Duarte
19281929 Narciso Torres Meléndez
November 26, 1929September 4, 1930 Alfredo García Cadena
19301931 Alejandro Galvis Galvis
19311932 Eduardo Santos Montejo
19321933 Alfredo Cadena D’Costa
19331934 Humberto Gómez Naranjo
19341935 Pedro Alejandro Gómez
19351937 Rogerio Silva Pradilla
19371939 Alfredo Cadena D’Costa
19391941 Hernán Gómez Gómez
19411943 Benjamín García Cadena
19431944 Arturo Santos
April 21, 1944February 15, 1945 Alejandro Galvis Galvis
February 15, 19451946 Luis Camacho Rueda
19461947 Samuel Arango Reyes
19471947 Julio Martín Acevedo Díaz
19481948 Rafael Ortíz González
19481948 Miguel Ángel Hoyos
19491949 Valentín González Rangel
19501950 Hernando Sorzano González
19511951 Guillermo Garavito Durán
19521953 Pedro Nel Rueda Uribe
19531953 Néstor Meza Prieto
19531953 José Amaya
19541957 Quintín Gustavo Gómez
19581958 Ernesto Caicedo López
19581958 Alberto Lozano Cleves
19591960 Samuel Arango Reyes
19601961 Mario Latorre Rueda
19621962 Gustavo Serrano Gómez
19631964 Humberto Silva Valdivieso
19651965 Enrique Barco Guerrero
19651965 Reynaldo López López
19661966 Francisco José Calderón
19661968 Julio Obregón Bueno
19691969 Eduardo Camacho Gamba
19701970 Alfonso Gómez Gómez
19711971 Jaime Serrano Rueda  [ es ]
19721973 Jaime Trillos Novoa
19741974 Rafael Pérez Martínez
19751975 Oscar Edmundo Martínez
19761976 Rafael Ortiz González
19771978 Alberto Montoya Puyana
19791981 Alfonso Gómez Gómez
19821982 Luis Ardila Casamitjana
19831983 Rafael Moreno Peñaranda
19841984 Jorge Agustín Sedano
19851986 Álvaro Cala Hederich
19871988 Alvaro Betrán Pinzón
19891990 Eduardo Camacho Barco
19901990 Hernando Reyes Duarte
1991December 31, 1991 Clara Elsa Villalba de Sandoval

Democratically elected governors

The Colombian Constitution of 1991 allowed for local democratic elections to take place electing governors for each department and the elections being held at the same time to avoid confusion.

TenureIncumbent governor
Took officeLeft office
January 1, 1992December 31, 1994 Juan Carlos Duarte Torres
January 1, 1995December 31, 1997 Mario Camacho Prada
January 1, 1998December 31, 2000 Miguel Jesús Arenas Prada
January 1, 2001December 31, 2003 Jorge Eliécer Gómez Villamizar
January 1, 2004December 31, 2007 Hugo Heliodoro Aguilar Naranjo
January 1, 2008December 31, 2011 Horacio Serpa Uribe

See also

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References