The Sucre Family is an ancient and prominent political family of Venezuela.
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Origin
The family was founded in Venezuela, by Carlos de Sucre Garrido y Pardo, a Flanders-born noble, son of Charles Adrian de Sucre, Marquess of Preux, of Flemish origin, and of Ma. Buenaventura Carolina Isabel Garrido y Pardo, Lady of Syssele, of Spanish origin. Carlos de Sucre Garrido y Pardo, served as a soldier of Catalunya to the Spanish Crown in 1689, and was later named Governor of Cartagena de Indias and Governor and Captain General of Cuba. On December 22, 1779, the family arrived in Venezuela as Sucre Garrido y Pardo was appointed Governor of New Andalucia, the eastern-most province of the then Captaincy General of Venezuela and where the family would remain for almost all its history.
Antonio José de Sucre
Members of this family have excelled in modern Venezuelan history and have had a deep impact in that country's events. The most well-known member is General Antonio José de Sucre, the founder of Bolivia, the liberator of Ecuador and the Grand Marshal of Ayacucho. Sucre was the first lieutenant to the Liberator Simon Bolivar and was widely touted to replace Bolivar as the leader of the newly independent Latin American nations before his untimely death in the hands of royalist rebels in 1830.
Recent History
In the 20th century the family has once again become prominent in Venezuelan life as its members have taken roles in literature, politics, military and business. During the 1960s and 1970s the Sucre Figarella brothers were almost all involved in Venezuelan life serving in areas such as the military, public infrastructure, legislature, foreign service and literature. The oldest brother Juan Manuel Sucre was a general and served as Commander in Chief of the Army; his younger brother Leopoldo had the most active participation in politics as he was Governor and Senator of the state of Bolivar, Minister of Public Works, and as President of the state-owned Corporación Venezolana de Guayana; the third brother Jose Francisco was a key member of the foreign policy community serving as Ambassador to the United Nations and a number of European countries such as Russia and Austria. During the early half of the 20th century, another member of the family, José Antonio Ramos Sucre, had achieved fame as a great poet. Nowadays, members of the family are mostly involved in private businesses, such as Manuel Sucre García, the CEO of one of the most important Venezuelan newspapers, El Nacional. Also, Jose Manuel Sucre, became a member of Congress in Ciudad Bolivar at age 24 one of the youngest if not the youngest, and now works for the United Nations Headquarters in New York City as an attorney at law.
Motto & Coat of Arms
The family coat of arms and its motto, in French, Contentez Vous de Sucre, is included in the 2,000 Venezuelan bolívar bill.
Named in Honor of Antonio José de Sucre
Different places (and a former currency) across Latin America are named after Antonio José de Sucre, among them:
- Sucre, Bolivia, the judicial capital of Bolivia.
- Sucre, Venezuela, one of the States in Venezuela.
- Sucre, Colombia, one of the Departments of Colombia.
- Sucre, the currency of Ecuador until the year 2000.
Notable Members
Some notable members of the Sucre family are:
- Carlos de Sucre Garrido y Pardo, (b. 1680), Marquess of Preux, Governor of the Province of Cartagena de Indias
- Antonio José de Sucre, (1795-1830), General, Grand Marshall of Ayacucho, President of Bolivia
- Juan Manuel Sucre Figarella, (1925-1996), General, former Commander in Chief of the Army
- Manuel Sucre García, (born 1955), son of J.M. Sucre Figarella, CEO of El Nacional publishing company and newspaper
- Leopoldo Sucre Figarella, (1926-1996) former Minister of Public Works; Senator; President of CVG; former Governor of Bolivar
- Juan Manuel Sucre Figarella, (1925-1996), General, former Commander in Chief of the Army
- José Antonio Ramos Sucre, notable poet and writer
- Luis Alberto Sucre, well-known Venezuelan historian
- Jorge Sucre President of opposition party Proyecto Venezuela
- Antonio Jose Sucre, General Surgeon, La Floresta Hospital in Caracas
- Juan Manuel Sucre Trias (1940-1983), economist, leader of the political party Accion Democratica, parliamentarian and diplomat.
- Jose Manuel Sucre Ciffoni, (born 1963), attorney at law, parliamentarian, former Secretary of the Presidency of Venezuela and currently high level official of the United Nations in New York.
External links
- [1] Brief Antonio Jose de Sucre Biography
