Mendiburu, Manuel de, 1805-1885

"Manuel de Mendiburu Bonet (*Lima, 20 de octubre de 1805 - m. Lima, 21 de enero de 1885) fue un militar, político e historiador peruano. Se especializó en el arma de artillería y fue considerado experto en la ciencia de la hacienda pública, por lo que fue nombrado reiteradamente Ministro de dicho ramo. Fue también Ministro de Guerra y Presidente del Consejo de Ministros en 1879. Como historiador redactó una monumental obra enciclopédica en ocho tomos, titulada Diccionario Histórico-Biográfico del Perú (1874-1890)."

"He was educated at the University of San Marcos. When the movement for independence reached Peru, he joined the patriot army as a color sergeant in 1821. As lieutenant he distinguished himself in various battles, and was captured by the Spanish. After the end of the war was made captain (1830) and by 1851 had reached the rank of general. He filled various roles during his long and active political career. In 1831 he was sent on special missions to Brazil and Spain. From 1834 to 1870 he was employed in the government service, filling successively the positions of prefect of various departments; holding the portfolios of Government, Treasury, Foreign Relations, and War and Marine; serving as deputy in congress, Vice President of the Constituent Assembly, and Minister of Peru to England, to Bolivia, and to Chile. In 1870 he was placed in charge of the School of Arts and Trades at Lima. He organized the Archivo Nacional de Lima, which contains his monumental work Dictionario histórico-biográfico del Perú (1874-85). The publication is invaluable for the study of Peruvian history, especially during the colonial epoch. Two digitized volumes are available at the Virtual Library Miguel de Cervantes."