Sucre, << SOO kray, >> Antonio Jose de (1795-1830), was commander of the armies that liberated Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia from Spain. He served as president of Bolivia and was one of the ablest generals of his time.
Sucre was born in Cumana, Venezuela. When he was 15, he joined the army that opposed Spanish rule in South America. He became a friend and the chief lieutenant of Venezuelan general Simón Bolívar, the army’s chief commander (see Bolívar, Simón ). In 1822, Sucre freed Ecuador by winning the Battle of Pichincha near Quito, Ecuador. In 1824, he led the troops that defeated a large Spanish force at Ayacucho in south-central Peru. In 1825, Sucre’s forces defeated the Spanish in Bolivia.
Sucre became Bolivia’s first constitutional president in 1826. He was an able administrator. He resigned the presidency in 1828 to prevent war with the Peruvians, who objected to Sucre’s loyalty to Bolívar. The Peruvians thought Bolívar wanted to control Peru. Sucre was killed by an assassin in 1830.
