Augusto B. LeguÃa
Augusto Bernardino Leguía y Salcedo ( born February 19, 1863 in Lambayeque, † February 7, 1932 in Lima) was a Peruvian politician who twice held the presidency from 1908 to 1912, and from 1919 until 1930.
Early years
Leguía y Salcedo was born in 1863 in Lambayeque, the son of one of the leading families of the Peruvian oligarchy. After training in Valparaíso, Chile, he served during the Salpeterkrieges 1879 to 1881 in the Peruvian army.
After the war he moved to the U.S. and had a leadership position in the New York Insurance Company held. At the beginning of the 20th century Leguía had amassed great wealth and decided to return to Peru. There he entered in 1903 at the urging of Manuel Candamo, the then leader of the Partido Civil and the Prime Minister José Pardo the political stage. He took over the post of finance minister. When José Pardo in 1904 ascended to the presidency, Leguía became the new prime minister. He remained in this office until 1907, when he resigned to run for the presidential election the following year.
First term
In 1908 Leguía was the successor Pardo's new president ( a sequence that was to be repeated in 1919 ), after he had won as a candidate of the alliance the elections. Some of the first measures related to reforms of the social and economic system. This was an attempt to industrialize Peru and transform it into a modern capitalist society.
On 29 May 1909, a group of citizens ( supporters of the Democratic Party of Nicolás de Piérola ) to enter the government palace and there to demand the resignation Leguías. Among the invaders were the brother and sons Piérolas. Since Leguía refused to resign, he was kidnapped by the group and taken before the Simon Bolivar monument in Lima. There, too, he was not after the demands, and the police had to the President under use of force to free; at the battle more than 100 people died.
Around the same time around Peru was also embroiled in border disputes with five of his neighbors. Leguía it, two of them to solve through negotiations, with Bolivia and Brazil succeeded.
- The border with Brazil was established by the Treaty of Velarde - Rio Branco. The new border ran mostly along two rivers ( the yaravi and Yaverija ).
- The agreement of polo Busta Manta Bolivia determined the division of Lake Titicaca. The boundary line to Tacna, at that time still was under Chilean control was defined therein.
After Leguías term of office ended in 1912, Guillermo Billinghurst succeeded him as President, a millionaire businessman, who had previously been mayor of Lima. In the following years Leguía often traveled to the United Kingdom and the United States, where he became acquainted with banking and financial methods that he would later use in Peru. At this time, there was also a dispute Leguías with the Partido Civil Ista, which eventually resulted in his leaving party.
Second Term
In 1919 Leguía target again after the president. Fearing that the incumbent President José Pardo and the Parliament would not recognize his victory, Leguía launched a successful military coup. He dissolved the Congress; the new Parliament elected him constitutional president.
Leguía changed the Peruvian Constitution and issued in 1920 a new one that was more liberal than the previous one and further civil rights (as well as an unlimited number of re- election of the President ) foresaw. Though he had set the new Constitution itself in power, he ignored them and built a largely government dictatorial style. The opposition was suppressed, and sent many of its leaders into exile. The most prominent of them was Víctor Raúl Haya de la Torre, who founded the APRA exile in Mexico in 1924. From it one of the most active and strongest parties of modern Peru arose.
Among the successful companies during Leguías 's second term was a modernization program for the capital Lima. The infrastructure improvements that were financed through loans, were improvements in health care through new hospitals and the construction of sewers. The Government Palace was also rebuilt, and created new banks such as the Banco Central de Reserva del Perú and Banco Hipotecario of Peru.
In addition, border treaties were signed with Colombia and Chile:
- The conflict with Colombia was dissolved by cleavage of the area between the rivers Putumayo and Caquetá areas. This was officially settled by the Treaty of Salomón - Lozano, who, however, was not published until after the fall Leguías 1930.
- With the Tacna - Arica Chile - compromise was reached. However, this resulted in the following years of economic depression, for which Leguía has been heavily criticized.
Fall
After 11 years in power, and under the influence of the world economic crisis, which marked the end of capital inflows for Peru, Leguía was deposed on August 22, 1930 by Luis Miguel Sánchez Cerro in a coup. Leguía was arrested and charged with embezzlement. He remained in jail in Lima and died on 6 February 1932 at the hospital.