The Founders of Independence Society (), officially the Meritorious Society "Founders of Independence, Victors on May 2, 1866 and Qualified Defenders of the Homeland" (), is a Peruvian civic-patriotic association headquartered in Lima, the first of its kind in the country.
The society currently brings together its members in activities that worship the memory of the heroes and founding fathers of Peru's independence. The society has the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception as its Protector and Saint Rose of Lima as its Patroness. The company is an entity attached to the Ministry of Defence.
History Once the operations aimed at consolidating the Independence of Peru were concluded, many of the Peruvians who participated in those days were left in the greatest distress, since the fiscal coffers did not have enough money to solve their needs.
A group of ex-combatants formed, among others, by Colonels Casimiro Negrón de la Fuente, José Domingo Espinar, Juan Basilio Cortegana and Canon Juan Sánchez achieved that on September 28, 1857, 140 heroes of independence signed in the Chapter House of the Convent of San Francisco the installation document in which the then Humane Society of the Founders of Independence () is established. The then President of the Republic, Ramon Castilla, was appointed as its president and General Juan Francisco de Vidal as its Active President.
After the Peruvian victory at the Battle of Callao, President Mariano Ignacio Prado ordered that the name be extended in order to facilitate the entry of the combattants into the association.
Once the War of the Pacific was over, and Peruvian territory was no longer occupied, new institutions emerged with similar purposes. With the objective of unifying these institutions, by decree of November 2, 1937, all of them were incorporated into the society, adopting the name it has today.
On September 5, 1917, the Congress of Peru, chaired by , promulgated Law No. 2432, recognising the society as an official institution; with the right to be represented in civic ceremonies and to occupy, within protocol precedence, a place after the General Commanders of the Armed Institutes.
After the negotiations with President Augusto B. Leguía, the transfer to the society of the building constructed for the residence of Andrés Avelino Cáceres in 1924 was obtained. The transfer of the property was completed by the month of December and was inaugurated on the occasion of the first centennial of the battle of Ayacucho.
Headquarters The society currently has a headquarters located on Av. Arequipa, in the Santa Beatriz neighbourhood. The building was originally built to be the residence of Andrés Avelino Cáceres, as well as a museum—the Museo de la Breña—due to his death in 1923, however, the building was transferred to the society.
The institutional headquarters is the main location of the society in which solemn sessions are held annually to honour the memory of various national heroes and celebrate commemorative dates. For this purpose, the premises have a solemn session hall adorned with various paintings, busts and statues of the heroes of the history of Peru. President Augusto B. Leguía commissioned Waring & Gillow Ltd. of London to make the furniture, curtains, carpets and decorations for the Session Hall and the President's room at the company's headquarters.
The institutional headquarters of the society was declared Cultural heritage of Peru on February 9, 1999.
List of presidents The following is a list of associates who have served as active presidents of the institution:
President PeriodFrancisco de Vidal y Laos 1857-1861 1861-1863José Hermenegildo Allende y Sánchez 1863 1863-1864José Hermenegildo Allende y Sánchez 1864-1866 1866-1868 1868-1869Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera y Arboleda 1869-1870José Hermenegildo Allende y Sánchez 1870-1871Francisco Carassa y Jaramillo 1871-1873 1873-1878Bonifacio Franco Cueto 1878-1879Manuel Villar y Olivera 1885-1887Antonio Rodríguez Ramírez 1887-1888Lizardo Montero Flores 1888-1891Juan Buendía y Noriega 1891-1895 1895-1896 1896-1898Miguel Coloma Saavedra 1898-1901Federico Ríos 1901-1902 1902-1914Toribio Raygada y Oyarzábal 1914-1916Francisco Román Galindo 1916-1918Juan Nepomuceno Vargas Quintanilla 1918President PeriodEmilio Benavides Sánchez-Carrión 1918-1920Enrique C. Basadre Stevenson 1920-1922Foción Mariátegui y Palacio 1922-1929Ricardo Sevilla 1929-1930 1930-1931 1931-1936José Ernesto de Mora y Romero 1936-1938 1938-1947Manuel Elías Bonnemaison Torres 1947-1954 1954-1956Ismael Otárola Cabrera 1956-1958Armando Zamudio y Colmenares 1958-1959Juan Francisco Torres Matos 1959-1960 1960-1968Julio José Elías Murguía 1968-1972Manuel Remond Cárdenas 1972-1973Carlos Miñano Mendocilla 1974-1980Enrique Ciriani Santa Rosa 1981-1982Jorge Bellina Eggerstedt 1983-1986César Podestá Jiménez 1987-1990Jorge Carlín Arce 1991-1994Salvador Barrios Eléspuru 1995-2000Fernando Grau Umlauff 2001-2004Carlos Alfonso Tafur Ganoza 2005–present
See also Armed Forces of Peru
References