Pedro Barriere

Pedro Barriere

Doctor Pedro Barriere (? in Cuba – May 18, 1827 in Milingo, El Salvador) was a Spanish colonial official in the province of El Salvador. After independence from Spain he became the first head of state of El Salvador.

Dr. Barriere entered the service of the colonial government at the end of the eighteenth century, ascending to the rank of lieutenant. His service was distinguished by his loyalty to the royalist cause.

On September 15, 1821, the Act of Independence of Central America was signed in Guatemala City. Barriere replaced General and Doctor José María Peinado as Spanish intendant of El Salvador on the latter's death. Barriere took over the government on September 21, 1821. He was the last colonial intendant of the province and the first governor after independence. He occupied the position until November 28, 1821.

When Manuel José Arce, together with a small group of Salvadoran supporters, asked Intendant Barriere for the election of an economic consultative junta on September 30, 1821, Barriere ordered the arrest of the patriot leaders — Arce, Domingo Antonio Lara, Juan Manuel Rodríguez, Manuel Castillo, Mariano Fagoaga and others. Because he feared popular reaction in El Salvador, they were sent as prisoners to Guatemala, with a strong escort.

The governing junta in Guatemala had received the report of the incident from Barriere, and was ready to punish the prisoners. However, the priest Dr. José Matías Delgado, who had been named the new civil political chief of El Salvador by the Provisional Consultative Junta of Guatemala, secured their release in Santa Ana, El Salvador, before they reached Guatemala.

Dr. Barriere, who scoffed at the protests of the people and depended on the army for his authority, could hardly believe he had been replaced by Padre Delgado. Delgado was received by the people of El Salvador as a liberator from the tyranny of Barriere. Barriere moved to Guatemala, where he was promoted to colonel. He died in the service of the first president of the Federal Republic of Central America, General Manuel José Arce, his former enemy, in the Battle of Milingo.

External links

• (Spanish) Short biography at the Salvadoran government web site

Heads of state of El Salvador
Federal Republic of Central America (1821–41)	Barriere Delgado Filisola Codallos Junta Consultiva Prado J. Rodríguez Prado J. V. Villacorta Prado Cornejo J. D. Villacorta Cornejo Morazán J. San Martín Prado J. San Martín C. Salazar G. Salazar Escolán Silva Espinoza F. Gómez Vigil T. Menéndez Vigil T. Menéndez Cañas Morazán Silva Cañas Ramírez
Republic of El Salvador (1841–1931)	Lindo Marín J. J. Guzmán Palacios Malespín J. E. Guzmán Palacios Aguilar Medina Quirós Vasconcelos R. Rodríguez Vasconcelos Quirós Dueñas J. M. San Martín Dueñas V. Gómez J. M. San Martín Dueñas Campo Zepeda Santín J. E. Guzmán Peralta Barrios Dueñas González del Valle Zaldívar F. Menéndez Ezeta Gutiérrez Regalado Escalón Figueroa M. Araujo C. Meléndez Quiñónez C. Meléndez Quiñónez J. Meléndez Quiñónez P. Romero A. Araujo
Military presidents (1931–1980)	Hernández Martínez A. Menéndez Hernández Martínez A. Menéndez Aguirre Castaneda Revolutionary Council Osorio Lemus Military junta Cordón Rivera Sánchez Hernández Molina C. Romero Revolutionary Government junta
Salvadoran Civil War (1980–1992)	Magaña Duarte Cristiani
Post-Civil War (since 1992)	Cristiani Calderón Sol Flores Saca Funes Cerén