Manuel Dávila Flórez

Biography

Manuel Dávila Flórez was a Colombian professor and politician, born in Mompox, Bolívar in 1851. Throughout his academic and political life, he held various positions, among them: Rector of the University of Cartagena, Minister of Public Instruction, Congressman, Secretary of Government and War, among others.

Dávila was born and raised in a wealthy family that lost its fortune during the war of 1860. He carried out his early studies at the Pinillos School of Mompox. In 1872, he received a scholarship from the state of Bolívar and began studies at the University of Cartagena, but withdrew due to the arrival of German pedagogue Julio Walner, who came to found La Escuela Normal. Although he was offered a scholarship there, he rejected it, opposing being under the direction of a Protestant.

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He then joined the Colegio Esperanza, where he was both a teacher and a student, advancing law studies that were validated by the University of Cartagena in 1878.

Dávila stood out for his strong defense of the Catholic religion, always making it a pillar of his educational and political projects. An example was the introduction at the University of Cartagena of mandatory Sunday mass attendance, with punishment for those who missed. He also expressed concern about Darwinist works in the university library and attempted to counter their influence by donating three texts by French Catholic authors who opposed evolutionary theories.

He was also a founding member of the Academy of History of Cartagena de Indias in 1916, serving as its vice president.

Education

Dávila had a strong vocation for teaching, working as a teacher in Cartagena, Mompox, and Barranquilla. He held all the administrative positions in education of the time: from teacher to Director General of Public Instruction of Bolívar (1886), where he standardized the use of primary education texts and regulations. He was appointed Rector of the University of Cartagena (1887–1891, and later again by Governor Ramón Rodríguez Diago until a year before his death).

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During the presidency of Ramón González Valencia, he was appointed Minister of Public Instruction.

He also published several works, including: El sistema métrico decimal, Código de comercio del departamento de Bolívar, Carta sobre instrucción pública, and Canalización del brazo del río Magdalena llamado brazo de Mompox. Alongside Joaquín F. Vélez and Abel M. Isisarri, he carried out extensive journalistic work in publications such as El Heraldo, El Semanario Comercial de Barranquilla, El Patriota, La Voz Nacional, El Eco de la Costa, and El Correo de Bolívar. In Bogotá, he was one of the founders and editors of La Sociedad.

Politics

Originally a liberal, Dávila became a conservative after the murders of conservatives in Cartagena and the educational reform of that year. From then on, he defended the values of the conservative party.

He was head of the conservative party in the province of Mompox and a member of its leadership in Bolívar. He also served as Magistrate of the Tribunal, Secretary of Government and War, Secretary of Finance, Governor and Civil and Military Chief of Bolívar, and Fiscal Promoter of the Diocese of Cartagena.

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He was congressman several times in both chambers. During the presidency of Rafael Reyes, he was persecuted and exiled. In 1910, he was a member of the Constituent Assembly. When Reyes left power and Ramón González Valencia assumed the presidency in 1909, Dávila was appointed Minister of Public Instruction. He remained active in politics until 1919, when he resigned after disagreeing with Marco Fidel Suárez’s project to import wheat.

His greatest contribution to conservatism was through education, especially his proposal to modernize the University of Cartagena.

Family

Dávila married Manuela Nájera. He had two daughters: Dominga Dávila (legitimate) and Juana de Dios Dávila (natural, born before marriage).

Death

On April 1, 1924, Dávila died in Rome from bronchopneumonia, without fulfilling his plans for university reforms, which were later taken up by student leaders and university directors. His death mourned much of Cartagena’s society, prompting tributes in newspapers and by various organizations at local, departmental, and national levels.

Tributes

Among the posthumous tributes to Manuel Dávila Flórez are the bust erected by his students in the Plaza de los Estudiantes in front of the University of Cartagena, and a commemorative plaque on the university’s walls.