Introduction
Fermín Toro y Blanco (Caracas- El Valle, 14 July 1806 - Caracas, 23 December 1865) was a Venezuelan humanist, politician, diplomat and author.
Biography
Among his many public positions he was Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Finance, President of the National Convention of 1858, President of the Chamber of Deputies and Minister Plenipotentiary to the United Kingdom, Spain, France and Colombia. Together with the Spanish queen Isabel II he signed in 1846 the Ratification of the Treaty of Recognition of Venezuela's Independence by Spain, the former colonial metropolis. He also negotiated border delimitations with Colombia and relevant political issues with European capitals. He is remembered for his writings, oratorical skills and opposition to dictatorship. Even though he was the author of the first Venezuelan novel he is better known for his economic and political essays. He is considered by many as the best orator in Venezuela's parliamentary history. His remains were located at the Panteón Nacional on 23 April 1876. He was related to Francisco Rodríguez del Toro and Fernando Rodríguez del Toro, important figures of the Venezuelan Independence process and to María Teresa Rodríguez del Toro, the wife of Simón Bolívar. Several universities and schools have been named in his honour, including the Liceo Fermin Toro, Venezuela's largest and more prestigious public school. He has been the object of several biographies.
Works
- Essay
- Reflexiones sobre la Ley del 10 de abril de 1834.
- Los estudios filosóficos en Venezuela, Europa y América
- Cuestión de imprenta.
- Descripción de los honores fúnebres consagrados a los restos del Libertador Simón Bolívar (1842)
- Discurso ante la Convención de Valencia (1858)
- Ensayo gramatical sobre el idioma guajiro, (the manuscript was compiled by Adolf Ernst in 1872)
- Novels
- Los Mártires (1842).
- La Viuda de Corinto (1837)
- La Sibila de los Andes.
Institutions named after Fermín Toro
- Universidad Fermín Toro, Barquisimeto ([1])
- Colegio Universitario Fermín Toro, Barquisimeto ([2])
- Liceo Fermín Toro, Caracas (es:Liceo Fermín Toro)
- Instituto de Estudios Parlamentarios Fermín Toro