José Manuel Restrepo Vélez

For the Colombian Olympic wrestler, see José Restrepo (wrestler).

José Manuel Restrepo Vélez (30 December 1781 – 1 April 1863)^[1] was an investigator of Colombian flora, political figure and historian. The orchid genus Restrepia was named in his honor.

José Manuel Restrepo Vélez
1882 Woodcut of José Manuel Restrepo Vélez published in Papel Periódico Ilustrado based on a daguerreotype taken by Demetrio Paredes in 1863.
1st Secretary of the Interior of Colombia
In office 7 October 1821 – 1830
President	Simón Bolívar y Palacios
3rd Secretary of Foreign Affairs of Colombia
President	Simón Bolívar y Palacios
Preceded by	José Rafael Revenga y Hernández
Succeeded by	José Rafael Revenga y Hernández
Governor of Antioquia
In office 2 September 1819 – 9 April 1821
Appointed by	José María Córdova Muñoz
Preceded by	José María Córdova Muñoz
Succeeded by	José María Ricaurte y Nariño
Personal details
Born	(1781-12-30)30 December 1781 Envigado, Antioquia, Viceroyalty of the New Granada
Died	1 April 1863(1863-04-01) (aged 81) Bogotá, Cundinamarca, Granadine Confederation
Nationality	Neogranadine
Spouse	María Josefa Mariana Montoya y Zapata (1812–1863)
Alma mater	College of Saint Bartholomew (LLB, 1808)
Profession	Lawyer
Signature

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Restrepo and the second or maternal family name is Vélez.

Restrepo was born in the town of Envigado, Antioquia in the Colombian Mid-west. He graduated as a lawyer from the Colegio de San Bartolomé in the city of Santa Fe de Bogotá. He later worked as Secretary for Juan del Corral and Governor Dionisio Tejada during their dictatorial government over Antioquia.

From 1811 to 1814 he became a Deputy Representative of Antioquia during the Congress of the United Provinces of New Granada. After independence from Spain was achieved by Simon Bolivar, Restrepo became governor of Antioquia in 1819 as it came to be part of Greater Colombia.

In 1827, he published a history of Colombia.^[2]

Restrepo was profoundly interested in geography and fauna of Antioquia.