Andres Bello

(1781/11/29 - 1865/10/15)

Andres Bello

Venezuelan politician and writer

–Those who do not moderate passions are dragged to regrettable precipices–

Recognized as America's first humanist.

Works: Grammar of the Spanish language intended for use by Americans, Civil Code of Chile,
Colombian Civil Code...

Genre: Philosophy, law, poetry, philology...

Parents: Ana Antonia López and Bartolomé Bello

Spouses: Mary Ann Boyland (1794-1821), Elizabeth Antonia Dunn (1824-1865)

Children: 15

Name: Andrés de Jesús María and José Bello López

"The sciences and literature carry within themselves the reward of the work and vigils dedicated to
them"

Andres Bello

Andrés Bello was born on November 29, 1781 in Caracas, Venezuela.

Parents

First-born son of Ana Antonia López and the lawyer and prosecutor Bartolomé Bello.

Studies

From a very young age, he developed an interest in literature, science and law, quickly becoming
one of the intellectuals with the best scientific and academic preparation.

In 1796 he entered the Seminary and University of Santa Rosa de Caracas. On June 14, 1800, he
received his bachelor's degree in arts, studies that gave him an excellent command of Latin and
Spanish. He also learned English and French on his own.

Writer

He was Simón Bolívar's teacher for a short period of time in Caracas.

During 1802 he won the rank of Second Secretariat Officer of the colonial government by
competition.

In 1808 he wrote the Gaceta de Caracas, the main periodical publication of the Captaincy General.

Political

In 1810 he participated in the revolutionary events that began the independence of Venezuela. The
Supreme Board of Caracas appointed Bello First Official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. On June 10
of that same year, together with Simón Bolívar, he went to London as a representative of the
nascent Republic, where he remained until 1829.

In London he met Francisco de Miranda who allowed him the use of the library, on Grafton Street.
He furthered his studies in the library of the British Museum, made translations and directed the
magazines Biblioteca Americana and El Repertoire Americano.

In 1822, he was appointed acting secretary of the Chilean Legation in London.

During 1826 he was elected member of the National Academy created in Bogotá.

In 1828 he was appointed consul general of Colombia in Paris.

Civil Code

He settled in Chile, where he held senior positions in various ministries, a senatorial office and the
rector's office of the University of Santiago. He wrote the Civil Code and guided numerous
intellectuals from the country and exiles, such as the Argentineans Juan María Gutiérrez and
Domingo Faustino Sarmiento.

Académico

Fue nombrado en 1851 por la Real Academia Española miembro honorario. Además, realizó
trabajos de recopilación histórica, como Resumen de la historia de Venezuela (1810) y de reflexión
filosófica, como Filosofía del entendimiento (póstuma, 1881), pero su obra de mayor relieve
es Gramática de la lengua castellana destinada al uso de los americanos (1847), considerada uno
de los textos más importantes en la historia científica de la lengua española.

En Chile publicó también Principios de ortología y métrica de la lengua castellana (1835); Análisis
ideológica de los tiempos de la conjugación castellana (1841); numerosos poemas, entre ellos "La
oración por todos", y frecuentes artículos literarios y científicos en El Araucano.

Esposas e hijos

En 1814 contrajo matrimonio con María Ana Boyland de la que enviudó en 1821; de esta unión
nacieron 3 hijos. Después se casó con Isabel Antonio Dunn de cuyo matrimonio nacieron 12 hijos
más. Bello y su esposa sobrevivieron a la mayoría de sus hijos, ya que tras la muerte de Isabel (1873),
apenas 4 de los 15 hijos que tuvo Bello estaban vivos.

Muerte

En 1842 se fundó la Universidad de Chile donde Andrés Bello sirvió como rector hasta su
fallecimiento en Santiago el 15 de octubre de 1865.

Sabías que...

Árbitro

En 1864 fue elegido árbitro para dirimir una diferencia internacional entre Ecuador y Estados Unidos.