Jose Manuel Cayetano Marroquín Ricaurte (August 6, 1827 – September 19, 1908) was a Colombian political figure and the 44th President of Colombia.

Later, he was also co-founder of the Academia Colombiana de la Lengua along with Miguel Antonio Caro and José María Vergara.

[1] As writer, philosopher, poet and scholar he wrote several novels, poems, stories, essays and text books in grammar, philology and orthography.

[2] In an effort to end the civil war, President Marroquín offered the liberals a truce and armistice on June 12, 1902.

The provincial troops and civil leaders proclaimed the independence of the Panamanian State from the Colombian nation, aided and abetted by the military forces and diplomatic agents of President Theodore Roosevelt.

As part of the conspiracy and within days, Roosevelt recognized the independence of Panama and, in a stern and illegitimate forewarning, stated that he would not allow the presence of Colombian troops in Panamanian territory.

[3] The events leading to the separation of Panama from Colombia arise from the desires of business and strategic interests that wished to construct an interoceanic canal between the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans.

The treaty provided in part that the French company would transfer its construction rights to the US; the US would build, operate and exploit the canal for a period of 99 years and could extend it beyond that; Colombia would receive a down payment of $10 million US dollars and royalties of $250 thousand dollars every year until the end of the contract; and that the Colombian Congress would ratify the treaty within eight months.