Benjamín Herrera

Benjamín Herrera Cortés (18 October 1853 – 29 February 1924) was a Colombian politician and general, born in Cali, Republic of New Granada.

In 1875, while he was a student at the University of Cauca, Herrera joined the liberal army under César Conto to topple the conservative governor of Antioquia.

He fought in the civil war for a decade until 1885, when the liberal forces were defeated and he decided to settle down in Pamplona, Colombia.

In 1895 he returned to the political scene, gaining resources for a new liberal army against a new conservative governor.

In 1905 and early 1906, he commanded the Colombian army forces confronting Venezuela,[1] In 1909 Herrera became a senator, and in 1914 he became Minister of Agriculture under the government of Jose Vicente Concha.