on Villegas while he was administering his presidential duties at the government mansion. The assassin was captured before the attempt. His tenure lasted until February 20, 1869, when he was followed by José Ruperto Monagas. While Monagas was campaigning in February 1869, as the designated second in the Republic of Venezuela, Villegas again took the role of interim president. While during this short term, he officially honored the mortal remains of General Ezequiel Zamora, and also arranged the repatriation of the remains of Jose Maria Vargas, which had been in New York. He also honored general José Gregorio Monagas, and had a statue of El Libertador, Simón Bolívar, installed in the main square of Caracas. Furthermore, he approved of 13,000 pesos in funding to support national schools, and pardoned those that had been involved in the political events of 1868. He furthermore created the Presidency of the Cabinet (Presidencia del Gabinete), before returning the presidential role to Monagas in March 1869. Villegas was appointed Minister of the Interior in December 1869, his second time holding the position. 1871-1901: Education roles and final terms In 1870, Monagas left Caracas to fight the Liberal Revolution led by Antonio Guzman Blanco, and Villegas was once again appointed interim president in his absence on April 16, 1870. However, Blanco's successful revolution resulted in Villegas retiring from active politics. Villegas' term lasted around ten days, and on April 27, 1870, he ceded the role to Antonio Guzmán Blanco. Villegas went into education after his retirement from active politics, and in 1876 he founded the school La Paz along with his nephew Guillermo Tell Villegas Pulido, and he was known as a prominent teacher at the school. He published a book on Spanish grammar in 1884, and in 1887 published a book on Spanish homophones. The National Executive (Ejecutivo Nacional) commissioned him in 1889 to write a report to the Minister of Public Instruction on the formation of a series of popular instruction textbooks for Venezuela. Also that year, President Juan Pablo Rojas Paul named him Minister of Public Instruction (Ministro de Instrucción Pública). In the government of President Raimundo Andueza Palacio, in 1892 Villegas was appointed the president of the Federal Council (Ejecutivo Nacional). Villegas served as interim President of Venezuela for the final time starting on June 17, 1892, when Raimundo Andueza Palacio was in absentia while dealing with the outbreak of the Legalist