First Peruvian President. Jose de San Martin received a place of honor in Peruvian history, serving as the first Peruvian President from August 3, 1821 to September 20, 1822 with the title of " Protector of Peru.” As an Argentine general serving in South America's War of Independence from Spanish rule, he became a national hero of Argentina, Chile, and Peru along with Simon Bolivar and Bernardo O'Higgins. Born Jose Francisco de San Martin y Matorras, the youngest son of a Spanish soldier, his exact birth year is in dispute as either 1778 or 1779. He moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina with his family in 1781 and two years later they moved to Spain, settling first in Madrid and then Malaga. In 1789 he began his military training in the Regiment of Murcia, Spain and saw military action two years later in North Africa. He continued to receive promotions and during the War of the Second Coalition when Spain allied itself with Napoleon of France, he was captured by British forces and kept prisoner for a time. In 1801 he saw action in the War of the Oranges between Spain and Portugal, and during the Peninsular War, he fought in the Battle of Bailen and the Battle of Albuera. After being contacted by South Americans in support of independence from Spanish rule, he resigned from the Spanish Army, sailed for Buenos Aires in 1812, and offered his services to the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata, which is now present-day Argentina. In February of 1813 he won a victory over the Spanish at the Battle of San Lorenzo. From August of 1814 until September of 1816, he served as governor of the Argentine Province of Cuyo. In January of 1817 he led his Army of the Andes across the Andes Mountains into Chile and defeated the Spanish forces at the Battle of Chacabuco a month later and the Battle of Maipu in April of 1818, freeing Chile from Spanish rule. In August of 1820, after organizing a naval fleet, he sailed with an army to Peru and after gaining partial control of the Spanish stronghold of Lima in July of 1821, Peruvian independence was officially declared and he was appointed Protector of Peru, serving in that position until September of 1822 when he retired. He intended to return to Cuyo to live, but military unrest in Argentina continued, and following the death of his wife in 1823, he returned to Buenos Aires, then taking his daughter to Europe. He settled first in England, then relocated to Brussels, Belgium, with the intention of returning to Argentina once his daughter's education was completed. He offered his services to Brazil during the Argentine-Brazilian War but received no response. In 1831 he left Brussels for Paris, France and remained there until 1848, when he moved to Boulogne-sur-Mer. By this time his health had declined greatly, was nearly blind, and soon died at his home around the age of 72. His remains were buried three times: Originally interred at the Cimetiere de Bruony in Bruony, France, his remains were later moved Cathedral de Notre-Dame de Boulogne-sur-Mer. A long delay in his remains being repatriated was the result of unrest in Argentina. On May 28, 1880 his remains were finally repatriated to Argentina to rest in a tomb in a new wing of the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral. His tomb is surrounded by three statues representing the personification of Argentina, Chile, and Peru. Being the First President of Peru, his bust has a place of honor at the Heroes' Pantheon in Lima, which is a mausoleum in the church of the Real Colegio de San Carlos serving as the last resting place for many of Peru's heroes . In 1943, the Order of the Liberator General San Martin was created in his honor, and is the highest decoration conferred by the Argentine government.