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.
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 presidentTook officeLeft officeOctober 16, 1857October 23, 1857Estanislao Silva CalderónOctober 23, 18571858Manuel Murillo Toro18581858Ulpiano Valenzuela18581858Vicente Herrera18591859Manuel Murillo ToroMarch 12, 1859March 18, 1859Vicente HerreraMarch 18, 1859March 21, 1859Luis FlórezMarch 21, 1859April 3, 1859Evaristo AzueroApril 3, 1859November 23, 1859Eustorgio SalgarNovember 23, 1859January 1, 1860Ulpiano ValenzuelaJanuary 1, 1860February 1, 1860Antonio María Pradilla RuedaFebruary 1, 1860February 29, 1860José María Villamizar GallardoFebruary 29, 1860May 6, 1860Marco Antonio EstradaMay 6, 1860August 16, 1860 Antonio María Pradilla RuedaAugust 16, 1860 September 8, 1860Federal Intervention, State government suspendedSeptember 8, 18601861Marco Antonio Estrada18611862Leonardo Canal González18621862Adolfo Harker Mutis18621863Eustorgio Salgar18631864Pedro Quintero Jácome1864June 6, 1864Eustorgio SalgarJune 7, 1864October 11, 1864 Rafael Otero NavarroOctober 11, 1864October 1, 1866José María Villamizar GallardoOctober 1, 1866September 24, 1868Victoriano de Diego y ParedesSeptember 24, 1868October 1, 1868 Narciso Cadena UribeOctober 1, 1868March 14, 1870Eustorgio SalgarMarch 14, 1870March 30, 1870Narciso Cadena UribeMarch 30, 1870October 1, 1872Solón WilchesOctober 1, 1872September 15, 1874Narciso Cadena UribeSeptember 15, 1874May 16, 1875 Germán Vargas SantosMay 16, 1875May 25, 1876Aquileo Parra GómezMay 25, 18761876Francisco Muñoz18761877Marco Antonio Estrada18771877Francisco Muñoz18771877Marco Antonio Estrada18771877Domingo Castro18771877Francisco Muñoz18771877Domingo Castro1877October 1, 1878Marco Antonio EstradaOctober 1, 18781883Solón Wilches18831883Vicente VillamizarOctober 1, 1883September 9, 1884Solón WilchesSeptember 9, 18841885Narciso González Lineros1885August 5, 1886Antonio Roldán18861886Alejandro Peña Solano
Governors of the Department of Santander
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 governorTook officeLeft office18861887Alejandro Peña Solano18871888Antonio Roldán18881888Vicente Villamizar18881889Guillermo Quintero18891890Aurelio Mutis18901895Guillermo Quintero18951896José Santos18961886Antonio Roldán11861897Roso Cala18971898Aurelio Mutis18981899Roso Cala18991900Alejandro Peña Solano19001900Carlos J. Delgado 19001901Ramón González Valencia 19011901Carlos Matamoros19011902Juan Francisco Mantilla19021903Antonio Barrera Forero 19031904Ramón González Valencia19041904Carlos Matamoros19041904Jesús Cuervo Márquez 19041905Alejandro Peña Solano19051906Santiago Rizo19061907Alejandro Peña Solano19071908Gabino Navas19081909Alejandro Peña Solano19091911Eugenio Andrade Suescún19111913Antonio Barrera Forero19131916Manuel María Valdivieso Valencia19161917Ernesto Valderrama19181921Luis Mejía19211823José María García1923December 1924Emilio Pradilla GonzálezDecember 1924 December 19, 1926Arturo MantillaDecember 19, 19261928Juan de la Cruz Duarte19281929Narciso Torres MeléndezNovember 26, 1929September 4, 1930Alfredo García Cadena19301931Alejandro Galvis Galvis19311932Eduardo Santos Montejo19321933Alfredo Cadena D'Costa19331934Humberto Gómez Naranjo19341935Pedro Alejandro Gómez19351937Rogerio Silva Pradilla19371939Alfredo Cadena D'Costa19391941Hernán Gómez Gómez19411943Benjamín García Cadena19431944Arturo SantosApril 21, 1944February 15, 1945Alejandro Galvis GalvisFebruary 15, 19451946Luis Camacho Rueda19461947Samuel Arango Reyes19471947Julio Martín Acevedo Díaz19481948Rafael Ortíz González19481948Miguel Ángel Hoyos19491949Valentín González Rangel19501950Hernando Sorzano González19511951Guillermo Garavito Durán19521953Pedro Nel Rueda Uribe19531953Néstor Meza Prieto19531953José Amaya19541957Quintín Gustavo Gómez19581958Ernesto Caicedo López19581958Alberto Lozano Cleves19591960Samuel Arango Reyes19601961Mario Latorre Rueda19621962Gustavo Serrano Gómez19631964Humberto Silva Valdivieso19651965Enrique Barco Guerrero19651965Reynaldo López López19661966Francisco José Calderón19661968Julio Obregón Bueno19691969Eduardo Camacho Gamba19701970Alfonso Gómez Gómez1971197119721973Jaime Trillos Novoa19741974Rafael Pérez Martínez19751975Oscar Edmundo Martínez19761976Rafael Ortiz González19771978Alberto Montoya Puyana19791981Alfonso Gómez Gómez19821982Luis Ardila Casamitjana19831983Rafael Moreno Peñaranda19841984Jorge Agustín Sedano19851986Álvaro Cala Hederich19871988Alvaro Betrán Pinzón19891990Eduardo Camacho Barco19901990Hernando Reyes Duarte1991December 31, 1991Clara 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 governorTook officeLeft officeJanuary 1, 1992December 31, 1994Juan Carlos Duarte TorresJanuary 1, 1995December 31, 1997Mario Camacho PradaJanuary 1, 1998December 31, 2000Miguel Jesús Arenas PradaJanuary 1, 2001December 31, 2003Jorge Eliécer Gómez VillamizarJanuary 1, 2004December 31, 2007Hugo Heliodoro Aguilar NaranjoJanuary 1, 2008December 31, 2011Horacio Serpa Uribe
See also List of governors of Norte de Santander Department List of presidents of Colombia
References