Antonio José de Sucre
Sucre, Antonio José de
Born Feb. 3, 1795, at Cumaná, Venezuela; died June 4,1830, in Colombia. One of the leaders of the war for independence of the Spanish colonies in America from 1810 to 1826. Close comrade-in-arms of S. Bolivar. General (1818) and marshal (1824).
Sucre began his service with the army of F. Miranda in 1810. Subsequently he headed the liberation campaign in Ecuador, and on May 24, 1822, he defeated the Spanish forces at Pichincha. During the liberation campaign in Peru, he won a decisive victory at Ayacucho in December 1824, and in February 1825 he entered La Paz. Sucre played a prominent role in the establishment of the republic of Bolivia in upper Peru in August 1825 and became its temporary president in April 1826. He left the country in May 1828, as an anti-Bolívar revolt was in course. During the Peruvian forces’ invasion of Grán Colombia, Sucre won a victory in February 1829 near Junin. In 1830 he became president of the National Congress of Gran Colombia. He was assassinated by members of the opposition. Named after Sucre are a city in southern Bolivia, a state in northeastern Venezuela, and a unit of currency in Ecuador.