Lino de Clemente

Lino de Clemente (1767-1834) was a figure in the movement to obtain Venezuelan independence from Spain.

Clemente was born in what is now Venezuela and received his early education in Spain before joining the Spanish navy. In the 1790s he served in the Napoleonic Wars in Europe. In 1811 he was part of the group that declared the independence of Venezuela.

Clemente married a sister of Simon Bolívar. In 1826 he served as minister of the navy for Gran Colombia. For a time in the 1810s he lived with his family in exile in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. There he acted as an agent for the Venezuelan government in getting supplies to advance the interests of the revolution.