# Great Liberal Party of Venezuela

The Liberal Party (Spanish: Partido Liberal, PL), better known as Great Liberal Party of Venezuela (Spanish: Gran Partido Liberal de Venezuela, GPLV), was a political party in Venezuela, founded on August 20, 1840, by Antonio Leocadio Guzmán and Tomás Lander, through an editorial published by Guzmán at El Venezolano newspaper. It was the rival of the Conservative Party.

## History

The party very successfully promoted liberal policies during the early days of the Republic. Several of the early presidents of the country were members of the Liberal Party, including José Tadeo Monagas (in office from 1 March 1847 – 5 February 1851 and 20 January 1855 – 15 March 1858) who abolished capital punishment for political crimes. President José Gregorio Monagas proclaimed that Venezuela was a nation free of slavery in an edict signed on 24 March 1854. In 1863, under the leadership of President Juan Crisóstomo Falcón (in office 15 June 1863 – 25 April 1868), a member of the Liberal Party, Venezuela became the first country to totally abolish the death penalty for all crimes.

## Presidents of Venezuela
### State of Venezuela (1830–1864)

| No. | President(Birth–Death) | State | Term of office | Term |
| 7 | José Gregorio Monagas (1795–1858) | Monagas | 5 February 1851 – 20 January 1855 | 6 (1851–55) |
| (6) | José Tadeo Monagas (1784–1868) | Monagas | 20 January 1855 – 15 March 1858 | 7 (1855–60) |
| 8 | Pedro Gual Escandón (1783–1862) | Caracas | 15 March 1858 – 18 March 1858 | 7 (1855–60) |
| 10 | Manuel Felipe de Tovar (1803–1866) | | 29 September 1859 – 20 May 1861 | 7 (1855–60) |
| 10 | Manuel Felipe de Tovar (1803–1866) | | 29 September 1859 – 20 May 1861 | 8 (1860–64) |
| (8) | Pedro Gual Escandón (1783–1862) | Caracas | 20 May 1861 – 29 August 1861 | 8 (1860–64) |

### United States of Venezuela (1864–1953)

| No. | President(Birth–Death) | State | Term of office | Term |
| 13 | Guillermo Tell Villegas (1823–1907) | Carabobo | 28 June 1868 – 20 February 1869 | 9 (1864–73) |
| (13) | Guillermo Tell Villegas (1823–1907) | Carabobo | 16 April 1870 – 27 April 1870 | 9 (1864–73) |
| 15 | Antonio Guzmán Blanco (1829–1899) | Caracas | 27 April 1870 – 27 February 1877 | 9 (1864–73) |
| 15 | Antonio Guzmán Blanco (1829–1899) | Caracas | 27 April 1870 – 27 February 1877 | 10 (1873–77) |
| 16 | Francisco Linares Alcántara (1825–1878) | Aragua | 27 February 1877 – 30 November 1878 | 11 (1877–82) |
| 17 | José Gregorio Valera (1826–1896) | | 30 November 1878 – 26 February 1879 | 11 (1877–82) |
| (15) | Antonio Guzmán Blanco (1829–1899) | Caracas | 26 February 1879 – 26 April 1884 | 11 (1877–82) |
| (15) | Antonio Guzmán Blanco (1829–1899) | Caracas | 26 February 1879 – 26 April 1884 | 12 (1882–88) |
| 18 | Joaquín Crespo (1830–1898) | Aragua | 26 April 1884 – 15 September 1886 | 12 (1882–88) |
| (15) | Antonio Guzmán Blanco (1829–1899) | Caracas | 15 September 1886 – 8 August 1887 | 12 (1882–88) |
| 20 | Juan Pablo Rojas Paúl (1826–1905) | Caracas | 2 July 1888 – 19 March 1890 | 13 (1888–90) |
| (13) | Guillermo Tell Villegas (1823–1907) | Carabobo | 17 June 1892 – 31 August 1892 | 14 (1890–94) |
| 22 | Guillermo Tell Villegas Pulido (1854–1949) | Barinas | 31 August 1892 – 7 October 1892 | 14 (1890–94) |
| 23 | Ignacio Andrade (1839–1925) | Mérida | 28 February 1898 – 20 October 1899 | 16 (1898–08) |