[3][4] After that he became editor-in-chief of La Estrella de Panamá, the Spanish language section of the trilingual newspaper The Daily Star & Herald.

[7] By September 15, the Legislative Assembly of Panama had not yet declared a winner as required by law as the liberal radicals in the assembly wanted the Vice-Governor, who was on their side, to assume the Governorship, and they were deliberately absent in the legislature so to prevent a quorum to pass the resolution, in the hopes that come the date of inauguration and no candidate was elected, the vice governor would then become acting governor.

[6][7] In 1858, Calvo was elected Inspector General of Colombia, and he left Panama on May 5 to go to Bogotá, ceding power to the first designate Ramon Gamboa.

The Presidential term of Ospina was coming to an end, and according to the Constitution of 1858, in the absence of the designates, which were not elected either, the inspector general would take over the presidency.

[9] And on April 1, 1861, Bartolomé Calvo Díaz de Lamadrid became President of the Granadine Confederation as inspector general in charge of the Executive Power.

[10][11] The forces of General Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera invaded Bogotá on July 18, 1861, taking control of government and arresting many prominent figures, including Bartolomé Calvo, Mariano Ospina Rodríguez and his brother Pastor, who were taken prisoners and taken to the Bocachica Castle in Cartagena.

[15] Bartolomé Calvo Díaz de Lamadrid died in Quito, on January 2, 1889, at the age of 73 leaving behind his wife and no children.

On October 10 of that same year, the Congress of Colombia passed a law lamenting the death of the ex-president and setting funds for the repatriation of his remains to be interred in a National Monument in the Central Cemetery of Bogota, and also for the painting of two oil paintings, one which would hang in Congress, the other to be presented to his widow, also the creation of two busts in his likeness to be presented one to the Municipality of Cartagena, and the other to the Panamanian Assembly in honor and recognition of his service to the Nation.