Jose Miguel Carrera First president of Chile Country: Chile

Biography of José Miguel Carrera

José Miguel Carrera, the first president of Chile, was born in Santiago, Chile, then a colony of Spain. He was one of the early fighters for Chile's independence. In 1810, due to Spain's weakness, occupied by Napoleon, the people of Chile declared the country's independence, and Carrera became the first president of the Republic of Chile.

In 1814, loyalist Peruvian armies invaded Chile. Leading the Chilean army was Bernardo O'Higgins, but his leadership proved to be unsuccessful and was handed over to his main political opponent, José Miguel Carrera. In October 1814, in Rancagua, Chilean patriots suffered a defeat in battle against the Peruvian army. For the next three years, the country was occupied by royalists.

During this time, Carrera sought assistance first in Buenos Aires and then, in 1815, in the United States. In 1816, he returned to Argentina, but he was unable to return to Chile. He provided assistance to local Argentine revolutionaries. During one of these operations in 1821, José Carrera was kidnapped and killed.