He entered the military career in 1844, as a prominent leader of the Dominican War of Independence movement against Haitian domination that had begun in 1822.

He led the Battle of Santiago, in which the Haitian troops were defeated in their attempt to penetrate through the valley of Cibao to occupy the country.

In 1850, he was among many politicians to sign the treaty with Great Britain, which meant the recognition of Dominican independence by an international power.

He led the bourgeois revolt in Santiago against the merchants, a movement that essentially also disputed the economic measures decreed by the country's president, Buenaventura Báez.

He directed the provisional government established in Santiago on July 7, 1857 and, once Báez was overthrown from the presidency of the State, Valverde was elected president by the Constituent Assembly of Moca, held on March 1, 1858, although he resigned from office on the day August 28 of that same year.

His government's priorities consisted of improving the monetary system and reorganizing the public administration and the army.

As a supporter of the annexation to Spain, which occurred in 1861, General Valverde returned to his country, collaborating with the Spanish officials.

In exile, he began a journey through several Ibero-American and European countries until Valverde settled perminantly in Spain, acquired numerous properties in Tierra de Campos, Province of Valladolid, where a relative of his was death Deputy in Cortes for the constituency of Villalón de Campos.