Francisco Javier Martínez de Zaldúa y Racines was a Colombian lawyer and politician, who was elected as President of Colombia in 1882.
[2] His father was don Manuel Maria Zaldúa, a prominent member of the Nueva Granada high society and a very wealthy man.
When the Spanish "Pacificador", General Pablo Morillo, made his triumphant entry in Bogotá, the Zaldúa family was attending the military parade.
Zaldúa was a man of immense prestige and reputation and José María Rojas Garrido nominated him as candidate for the presidency.
The Conservative Party abstained from the elections, and Zaldúa defeated fellow Liberal Solón Wilches.