Rafael Núñez

Rafael Wenceslao Núñez Moledo was born on September 28, 1825, in Cartagena. Serving as a diplomat in Paris and consul in Liverpool, Núñez spent a decade studying British and European political economy before returning to Colombia convinced that radical federalism was destroying the nation in endless civil wars.

Serving four terms as President (1880–1894), Núñez led the 'Regeneración', dismantling the Rionegro Constitution and promulgating the landmark Constitution of 1886, which established a centralized republic that lasted over a century. A brilliant poet and essayist, he authored the verses of Colombia's National Anthem (¡Oh gloria inmarcesible!). His residence in El Cabrero is a national historic site.