BOLIVAR, SIMON, an American mili tary officer and statesman (named EL LIBERTADOR, from his having rescued cen tral South America from the Spanish yoke), born in Caracas, July 24, 1783. He descended from a noble and wealthy fam ily, received his university education at Madrid, married and returned to South America. His wife dying, he visited Europe, and then returned to Venezuela, entering the service of the newly founded republic as a Colonel. In June, 1810, he was in London, endeavoring to induce the British cabinet to assist the Inde pendent narty against the Royalists and. in the following year, he was acting as Governor of Puerto Cabello, the strong est fortress of Venezuela. In 1821, the Independent troops were successful in the battle of Caraboho, where the Royal ists lost upward of 6,000 men, and which decided the cause against Spain. On Au gust 20 of the same year, a Republican Constitution was adopted, and decreed to continue, as then defined, till 1834. Boli var was chosen President. In 1823 he assisted the Peruvians to obtain their in dependence, and was declared their lib erator, and invested with supreme au thority. On Feb. 10, 1825, however, he
convoked a Congress, and resigned his dictatorship. He now visited the upper provinces of Peru, which, calling a con vention at Chuquisaca, gave the name of Bolivia to their country, in honor of their liberator, and appointed him Perpetual Protector, and to draw up a constitution. On May 25, 1836, he presented his Bolivian code to the Congress of Bolivia, which was afterward adopted. It was subsequently adopted by the Congress of Liina, where, under its provisions,he himself was elected President for life. He now set out for Colombia. His con duct here was misconstrued, and he was supposed to be assuming the powers of a , dictator. In 1829 new disturbances arose, and, in 1830, a convention was called for the purpose of framing a new constitu tion for Colombia. The proceedings were begun by Bolivar, who once more ten dered his resignation. This was his last act which had relation to public affairs. He died at San Pedro, near Santa Marta, Dec. 17, 1830.