Manuel Torres | |
|---|---|
| 1st Colombian Chargé d'affaires to the United States | |
| In office June 19, 1822 – July 15, 1822 | |
| President | Simón Bolívar |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | José María Salazar |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 1762 Córdoba, Bourbon Spain |
| Died | (aged 59) Hamilton Village, Philadelphia, U.S. |
| Resting place | St. Mary's Church 39°56′44″N 75°08′54″W / 39.94563°N 75.14838°W |
| Signature | &sq=Facebook&lang=en&file=File:Manuel_Torres_signature_vectorized.svg){kind=small} |
Manuel de Trujillo y Torres (November 1762 – July 15, 1822) was a Colombian publicist and diplomat. He is best known for being received as the first ambassador of Colombia by U.S. President James Monroe on June 19, 1822. This act represented the first U.S. recognition of a former Spanish colony's independence.
Born in Spain, he lived as a young adult in the colony of New Granada (present-day Colombia). After being implicated in a conspiracy against the monarchy he fled in 1794, arriving in the United States in 1796. From Philadelphia he spent the rest of his life advocating for independence of the Spanish colonies in the Americas. Working closely with newspaper editor William Duane he produced English- and Spanish-language articles, pamphlets and books.
During the Spanish American wars of independence he was a central figure in directing the work of revolutionary agents in North America, who frequently visited his home. In 1819 Torres was appointed a diplomat for Venezuela, which that year united with New Granada to form Gran Colombia. As chargé d'affaires he negotiated significant weapons purchases but failed to obtain public loans. Having laid the groundwork for the diplomatic recognition of Colombia, he died less than a month after achieving this goal. Though largely unknown today, he is remembered as an early proponent of Pan-Americanism.