In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Leguía and the second or maternal family name is Salcedo.
Augusto Bernardino Leguía y Salcedo (February 19, 1863 – February 6, 1932)[1] was a Peruvian politician who served as President of Peru from 1908 to 1912 and from 1919 to 1930, the latter term known as El Oncenio de Leguía (Leguía's Eleven-Year Rule) in Peru's republican history.
Melitón Porras Osores German Leguía y Martínez Julio Ego-Aguirre Dong Alejandro Maguiña Pedro José Rada y Gamio Benjamín Huamán de los Heros Fernando Sarmiento Ramírez
Augusto Leguía was born in Lambayeque in 1863, and later married into one of the most distinguished families of the Peruvian oligarchy. Educated in Valparaíso, Chile, he served in the Peruvian Army during the War of the Pacific (1879–1881).
After the war he moved to the United States and became an insurance executive with the New York Life Insurance Company. By the 1900s, Leguía had become very wealthy and decided to return to Peru. He entered politics in 1903 at the urging of Manuel Candamo (the then-leader of the Civilista Party) and also of José Pardo, who was Prime Minister. Leguía took the position of Minister of Finance, a post he would retain until 1904,[2] when the former Prime Minister José Pardo became president. Pardo offered the position of Prime Minister to Leguía, who accepted and remained so until 1907, when he resigned to run for the presidency the following year.
In 1908 he succeeded José Pardo (a succession event that would occur again in 1919) after being elected president for the first time by an alliance of the Civil and Constitutional parties. Some of Leguía's first actions were to institute social and economic reforms in an attempt to industrialize Peru and turn it into a modern capitalist society.
On May 29, 1909, a group of citizens (supporters of Piérola'sDemocratic Party) managed to force their entry into the Palacio de Gobierno demanding the resignation of Leguía. Among the group were the brother and sons of Piérola; Carlos de Piérola, Isaías de Piérola and Amadeo de Piérola. Since Leguía did not resign as planned, they kidnapped him and took him in front of the Bolivar Monument (located in Plaza inquisicion in Lima). Once there, Leguía did not acquiesce to their demands, and the police had to forcibly rescue the president in the midst of a fight that caused at least 100 deaths.
During this period the country was also confronting boundary disputes with five of its neighbors. Leguía succeeded in reaching agreements with two of them, Bolivia and Brazil.
The Boundary with Brazil was settled with the signing of the Treaty of Velarde-Río Branco. This provided that two rivers (Yaravi and Yaverija) would compose most of the border for both countries.
With Bolivia, The Treaty of Polo-Bustamante determined the partition of the Lake Titicaca and provided a much more accurate definition of the Peruvian-Bolivian border. This treaty also delimited the borders with Tacna (which was until then in Chilean control).
When Leguía's term ended in 1912, he was succeeded by Guillermo Billinghurst, a millionaire businessman who had been the former mayor of Lima. During the following years, Leguía travelled in the United Kingdom and the United States, where he learned methods of banking and finance that he would later apply in Peru. During this time, Leguia was already in conflict with the Civilista Party and left its organization.
Second presidential term
In 1919, he again sought the presidency of Peru by trying to succeed José Pardo. Fearing that the former president's government along with the Civilist Parliament would not recognise his victory, he launched a successful military coup,[3] which led Leguía to succeed Pardo as an interim president. He then proceeded to dissolve Congress and the new parliament elected him constitutional president of Peru.
During Leguía's presidency, Peru celebrated its centenary since independence from Spain. Leguía's name figures prominently on the diploma which accompanied the commemorative decoration awarded to Captain Ernesto Burzagli of the Italian Royal Navy when his ship visited Peru as part of a round-the-world voyage.
Leguía changed the Peruvian constitution (which had the longest continuance since 1860), and promulgated a new one in 1920, which was more liberal than its predecessor and provided more civil guarantees and unlimited reelections. Nevertheless, having himself promulgated the constitution, Augusto B. Leguía almost completely ignored it.
The years of his tenure were marked with a dictatorial style of ruling by suppressing all opposition harshly.
Although he represented the Peruvian oligarchy, the oligarchs revolted against him when he came to power, and it was his loyal supporters who installed him. Therefore he broke ties with the oligarchy, who protested his coup.[4]
Among the positive initiatives that occurred during Leguía's second term was a program to modernize Lima by planning and starting public works through various loans. These included improving the health-care system by founding hospitals and building drainage systems around the cities. Peru's Government Palace ("Palacio de Gobierno") was also remodeled in 1926. Banks such as the Banco Central de Reserva del Perú and Banco Hipotecario of Peru were also created during his second presidency.
Treaties of limits with Colombia and Chile were also signed:
The boundary with Colombia was settled with the secession of all the lands between the Putumayo and Caquetá rivers. This was officially solved with the signing of the Treaty of Salomón-Lozano in 1922. (However, the treaty was published after the overthrow of Leguía in 1930.)
The Tacna–Arica compromise was also signed with Chile, which unfortunately led to economic depression in later years. Leguía was bitterly criticized for accepting the compromise.
The Great Depression had drained foreign investment in Peru and after eleven years in power, Leguía's government was overthrown. The coup, on August 22, 1930, was led by Luis Miguel Sánchez Cerro in Arequipa. Leguía was arrested and charged with misappropriating government funds. He remained in confinement in the Panóptico of Lima, and died at a naval hospital on February 6, 1932.
Reception
Augusto B. Leguía is depicted as a tyrant in the 1937 novel Pity the Tyrant by American novelist Hans Otto Storm.[5] American travel writer Richard Halliburton met Leguía during his Latin American travels chronicled in New World to Conquer. He describes Leguía as a charming and self-effacing "man of the people" who gives a humorous account of the 1908 coup attempt.
Notes
^Kavanagh, Dennis (1998). Oxford Dictionary of Political Biography. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. pp. 288. ISBN0-19-280035-3.
^"Ministerio de Economía y Finanzas - Histórico - Relación de Ministros". www.mef.gob.pe.
^Stuart, Graham H. (1928). "The Administration of President Leguía of Peru". American Political Science Review. 22 (2): 416–420. doi:10.2307/1945480. ISSN 0003-0554.
^"Augusto Bernardino Leguía y Salcedo | president of Peru".
augusto, leguía, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, december, . This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Augusto B Leguia news newspapers books scholar JSTOR December 2009 Learn how and when to remove this template message In this Spanish name the first or paternal surname is Leguia and the second or maternal family name is Salcedo Augusto Bernardino Leguia y Salcedo February 19 1863 February 6 1932 1 was a Peruvian politician who served as President of Peru from 1908 to 1912 and from 1919 to 1930 the latter term known as El Oncenio de Leguia Leguia s Eleven Year Rule in Peru s republican history Augusto B Leguia40th President of PeruIn office 12 October 1919 25 August 1930Prime MinisterMeliton Porras OsoresGerman Leguia y MartinezJulio Ego Aguirre DongAlejandro MaguinaPedro Jose Rada y GamioBenjamin Huaman de los HerosFernando Sarmiento RamirezVice PresidentCesar CanevaroAgustin de la Torre GonzalezPreceded byAugusto B Leguia Provisional President Succeeded byManuel Ponce Military Junta 36th President of PeruIn office 24 September 1908 24 September 1912Prime MinisterEulogio I Romero SalcedoRafael Fernandez de VillanuevaJavier Prado y UgartecheGerman Schreiber WaddingtonJose Salvador Cavero OvalleEnrique C Basadre StevensonAgustin Ganoza y CaveroVice PresidentEugenio Larrabure y UnanueBelisario SosaPreceded byJose PardoSucceeded byGuillermo BillinghurstProvisional President of PeruCoup d etatIn office 4 July 1919 12 October 1919Prime MinisterMariano Cornejo ZentenoMeliton Porras OsoresPreceded byJose Pardo y Barreda Constitutional President Succeeded byAugusto B Leguia Constitutional President Prime Minister of PeruIn office September 24 1904 August 1 1907PresidentJose Pardo y BarredaPreceded byAlberto Elmore Fernandez de CordobaSucceeded byAgustin Tovar AguilarMinister of Finance and CommerceIn office September 8 1903 August 1 1907PresidentManuel CandamoSerapio CalderonJose Pardo y BarredaPrime MinisterJose Pardo y BarredaAlberto Elmore Fernandez de CordobaAugusto B LeguiaPreceded byPablo SarriaSucceeded byGerman Schreiber WaddingtonPersonal detailsBornAugusto Bernardino Leguia y Salcedo 1863 02 19 February 19 1863Lambayeque PeruDiedFebruary 6 1932 1932 02 06 aged 68 Callao PeruPolitical partyCivilista Party until 1920 Reformist Democratic Party 1920 1932 ProfessionEconomist Contents 1 Early life 2 First presidential term 3 Second presidential term 4 Overthrow 5 Reception 6 Notes 7 External linksEarly life EditAugusto Leguia was born in Lambayeque in 1863 and later married into one of the most distinguished families of the Peruvian oligarchy Educated in Valparaiso Chile he served in the Peruvian Army during the War of the Pacific 1879 1881 After the war he moved to the United States and became an insurance executive with the New York Life Insurance Company By the 1900s Leguia had become very wealthy and decided to return to Peru He entered politics in 1903 at the urging of Manuel Candamo the then leader of the Civilista Party and also of Jose Pardo who was Prime Minister Leguia took the position of Minister of Finance a post he would retain until 1904 2 when the former Prime Minister Jose Pardo became president Pardo offered the position of Prime Minister to Leguia who accepted and remained so until 1907 when he resigned to run for the presidency the following year First presidential term Edit Leguia portrayed on the cover of Time 1930 In 1908 he succeeded Jose Pardo a succession event that would occur again in 1919 after being elected president for the first time by an alliance of the Civil and Constitutional parties Some of Leguia s first actions were to institute social and economic reforms in an attempt to industrialize Peru and turn it into a modern capitalist society On May 29 1909 a group of citizens supporters of Pierola s Democratic Party managed to force their entry into the Palacio de Gobierno demanding the resignation of Leguia Among the group were the brother and sons of Pierola Carlos de Pierola Isaias de Pierola and Amadeo de Pierola Since Leguia did not resign as planned they kidnapped him and took him in front of the Bolivar Monument located in Plaza inquisicion in Lima Once there Leguia did not acquiesce to their demands and the police had to forcibly rescue the president in the midst of a fight that caused at least 100 deaths During this period the country was also confronting boundary disputes with five of its neighbors Leguia succeeded in reaching agreements with two of them Bolivia and Brazil The Boundary with Brazil was settled with the signing of the Treaty of Velarde Rio Branco This provided that two rivers Yaravi and Yaverija would compose most of the border for both countries With Bolivia The Treaty of Polo Bustamante determined the partition of the Lake Titicaca and provided a much more accurate definition of the Peruvian Bolivian border This treaty also delimited the borders with Tacna which was until then in Chilean control When Leguia s term ended in 1912 he was succeeded by Guillermo Billinghurst a millionaire businessman who had been the former mayor of Lima During the following years Leguia travelled in the United Kingdom and the United States where he learned methods of banking and finance that he would later apply in Peru During this time Leguia was already in conflict with the Civilista Party and left its organization Second presidential term EditIn 1919 he again sought the presidency of Peru by trying to succeed Jose Pardo Fearing that the former president s government along with the Civilist Parliament would not recognise his victory he launched a successful military coup 3 which led Leguia to succeed Pardo as an interim president He then proceeded to dissolve Congress and the new parliament elected him constitutional president of Peru During Leguia s presidency Peru celebrated its centenary since independence from Spain Leguia s name figures prominently on the diploma which accompanied the commemorative decoration awarded to Captain Ernesto Burzagli of the Italian Royal Navy when his ship visited Peru as part of a round the world voyage Leguia changed the Peruvian constitution which had the longest continuance since 1860 and promulgated a new one in 1920 which was more liberal than its predecessor and provided more civil guarantees and unlimited reelections Nevertheless having himself promulgated the constitution Augusto B Leguia almost completely ignored it The years of his tenure were marked with a dictatorial style of ruling by suppressing all opposition harshly Although he represented the Peruvian oligarchy the oligarchs revolted against him when he came to power and it was his loyal supporters who installed him Therefore he broke ties with the oligarchy who protested his coup 4 Various political opponents of his government were exiled of which the most prominent was Victor Raul Haya de la Torre who while in exile in Mexico founded the American Popular Revolutionary Alliance APRA in 1924 It became one of modern Peru s most active and controversial political parties Another important political figure that would emerge during this era was Jose Carlos Mariategui leader of the Communist Party of Peru Among the positive initiatives that occurred during Leguia s second term was a program to modernize Lima by planning and starting public works through various loans These included improving the health care system by founding hospitals and building drainage systems around the cities Peru s Government Palace Palacio de Gobierno was also remodeled in 1926 Banks such as the Banco Central de Reserva del Peru and Banco Hipotecario of Peru were also created during his second presidency Treaties of limits with Colombia and Chile were also signed The boundary with Colombia was settled with the secession of all the lands between the Putumayo and Caqueta rivers This was officially solved with the signing of the Treaty of Salomon Lozano in 1922 However the treaty was published after the overthrow of Leguia in 1930 The Tacna Arica compromise was also signed with Chile which unfortunately led to economic depression in later years Leguia was bitterly criticized for accepting the compromise Overthrow Edit Statue of Augusto B Leguia in Lambayeque The Great Depression had drained foreign investment in Peru and after eleven years in power Leguia s government was overthrown The coup on August 22 1930 was led by Luis Miguel Sanchez Cerro in Arequipa Leguia was arrested and charged with misappropriating government funds He remained in confinement in the Panoptico of Lima and died at a naval hospital on February 6 1932 Reception EditAugusto B Leguia is depicted as a tyrant in the 1937 novel Pity the Tyrant by American novelist Hans Otto Storm 5 American travel writer Richard Halliburton met Leguia during his Latin American travels chronicled in New World to Conquer He describes Leguia as a charming and self effacing man of the people who gives a humorous account of the 1908 coup attempt Notes Edit Kavanagh Dennis 1998 Oxford Dictionary of Political Biography Oxford UK Oxford University Press pp 288 ISBN 0 19 280035 3 Ministerio de Economia y Finanzas Historico Relacion de Ministros www mef gob pe Stuart Graham H 1928 The Administration of President Leguia of Peru American Political Science Review 22 2 416 420 doi 10 2307 1945480 ISSN 0003 0554 Augusto Bernardino Leguia y Salcedo president of Peru Hans Otto Storm at The Neglected Books Page May 29th 2010External links Edit Media related to Augusto B Leguia at Wikimedia Commons Newspaper clippings about Augusto B Leguia in the 20th Century Press Archives of the ZBWPolitical officesPreceded byPablo Sarria Minister of FinanceSeptember 8 1903 May 15 1904 Succeeded byJuan Jose ReynosoPreceded byJuan Jose Reynoso Minister of FinanceSeptember 24 1904 August 2 1907 Succeeded byGerman SchereiberPreceded byAlberto Fernandez de Cordoba Prime Minister of PeruSeptember 24 1904 August 2 1907 Succeeded byAgustin TovarPreceded byJose Pardo President of PeruSeptember 1908 September 1912 Succeeded byGuillermo BillinghurstPreceded byJose Pardo President of PeruJuly 1919 August 1930 Succeeded byLuis Miguel Sanchez Cerro Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Augusto B Leguia amp oldid 1133394825, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
