SUCRE, ANTONIO JOSE DE (1795-183o), was born on Feb. 3, 1795, at Cumuna, Venezuela, where his family had for generations held a position of importance. He had only a meagre education and turned early to the profession of arms. In 1811 he was placed in charge of the republican engineers at Mar garita, with the rank of lieutenant. In 1821 he acted as Bolivar's agent in the campaign against Spain in the presidency of Quito. There in 1822 he defeated the Spanish forces at the battle of Pichincha which definitely ended the power of Spain in that province. In March 1823, Peru accepted Bolivar's offer of serv ices in her struggle for independence, and a month later Sucre went to Lima as Colombia's commissioner. Bolivar arrived at Callao on Sept. 1, and was appointed by congress to the com mand of the patriot forces. During the preliminary stages of organization Sucre served as Bolivar's lieutenant. In Feb. Spanish troops re-occupied Lima. Congress immediately declared Bolivar "supreme political chief"; and he in turn placed Sucre in command of his troops.
At the end of July 1824, the army which Bolivar had been organizing gathered near Lake Reyes in the Peruvian uplands, and on Aug. 6, Sucre defeated the Spanish army under Canterac in the battle of Junin. Withdrawing to Cuzco, Canterac waited for additional troops, and then marched upon Sucre. After two months of manoeuvring, Sucre, on Dec. 9, faced the combined forces of Spain under Viceroy La Serna on the plain of Ayacucho and utterly routed them. After the battle Sucre and Canterac signed a treaty of capitulation arranging for the total evacuation of Lower Peru by the Spaniards. Carrying his work of recon quest into the district of Charcas or Upper Peru-now Bolivia Sucre convened a deliberative assembly, which on Aug. 6, 1825,
declared Upper Peru independent of Spain and proclaimed it a new State under the name of Republica Bolivar.
The liberator was named first president, Sucre to be chief execu tive in his absence. In Dec. 1825, Bolivar transferred his authority to Sucre, who resigned May 25, but was immediately elected provisional president. In Feb. 1826, the Bolivian con gress adopted the famous Constitution which Bolivar had drawn up for them, and in October Sucre was elected constitutional president. It was an awkward position. The native leaders ob jected to the presence of a foreigner; Sucre fretted at the limi tations to his power, and doubted the practicability of Bolivar's Constitution. A mutiny of soldiers at Chuquisaca in April 1828, followed by an invasion from Peru, crystallized his determination to resign. On Aug. 2, 1828, he made his last address to Congress and soon afterward moved to Quito resolved to retire to private life. But in Jan. 2830, he was chosen president of a constituent congress called by Bolivar as a last expedient to preserve the unity of Great Colombia, and was one of the special commission ers appointed to consider ways and means. The plan failed, and on his way back to Quito, he was killed by assassins in the forest of Berueros, near the town of Pasto, Colombia, on June 4, 183o. Sucre stands to-day with Bolivar and San Martin as a great liberator.
See also W. S. Robertson, The Rise of Spanish-American Nations (New York, 1921). (W. B. P.)