José Mariano Serrano

Who was José Mariano Serrano?

José Mariano Serrano was a Bolivian-born statesman and jurist. He was a representative to the Congress of Tucumán of 9 July 1816 which declared the Independence of the provinces of the River Plate and presided over the assembly that declared the independence of Bolivia.

Serrano was born in Chuquisaca and became a lawyer. He left for Tucumán due to persecution, and was elected to represent Charcas in the 1813 Assembly and in the 1816 Congress in Tucumán, in which he acted as Secretary. He was a minister in the administrations of Aráoz and González, governors of the then much larger Tucumán Province and had represented Buenos Aires in the 1815 Observation Junta.

In 1825, Serrano was President of the Assembly which declared Bolivian independence. He was made a member of the High Court of Chuquisaca in 1825 and in 1841 he was appointed the country's leading judge.