Alberto Guani Carrara (14 June 1877 – 26 November 1956) was a

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

jurist A jurist is a person with expert knowledge of law; someone who analyses and comments on law. This person is usually a specialist legal scholar, mostly (but not always) with a formal qualification in law and often a legal practitioner. In the U ...

diplomat A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or interna ...

and the

Vice President A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on ...

and

President of the Senate President of the Senate is a title often given to the presiding officer of a senate. It corresponds to the speaker in some other assemblies. The senate president often ranks high in a jurisdiction's succession for its top executive office: for ex ...

from 1943 to 1947. Alberto Guani was born in

Montevideo Montevideo () is the capital and largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2011 census, the city proper has a population of 1,319,108 (about one-third of the country's total population) in an area of . Montevideo is situated on the southern co ...

on 14 June 1877. He studied law, and became a well-known lawyer specializing in International Law. He studied law in Montevideo and, after obtaining a doctorate in law, he taught at the University of Montevideo. Early in his career Dr. Guani wrote about political and economic issues at El Siglo and El Tiempo newspapers, as well as writing for other publications. After becoming a lawyer, Dr. Guani partnered with Dr. Eduardo Acevedo and established his law firm, taking the first divorce cases in the country since divorce had just been legalised by the progressive

José Batlle y Ordóñez José Pablo Torcuato Batlle y Ordóñez ( or ; 23 May 1856 in Montevideo, Uruguay – 20 October 1929), nicknamed ''Don Pepe'', was a prominent Uruguayan politician, who served two terms as President of Uruguay for the Colorado Party. He w ...

presidency.

Career

In Uruguayan politics, Guani was a member of the Colorado Party. As a member of the Colorado Party, Guani began his parliamentary career in 1907. He was elected as State Representative in 1907–1910 periods, and became a member of the Chamber of Deputies or State Representative equivalent throughout 1910. Guani became the first Delegate of Uruguay to the

League of Nations The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference th ...

and was subsequently elected by his peers to the presidency of the Council Assembly in 1927. He was the first Uruguayan to dictate a course on International Law at the Academy in The Hague. Earlier in 1920 when the nations of the world met at the San Remo Conference, the Uruguayan representative, Dr. Alberto Guani, expressed himself in favor of Jewish aspirations in Palestine and fervently supported the Balfour Declaration of November 2, 1917, milestone fundamental in the creation of the Israeli state. Guani entered the diplomatic service, and served as Uruguay's Plenipotentiary Minister in

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

and

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

(1911), in

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

and the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

(1913), in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

(1925–1926), and in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

(1936–1938). Additionally, he served as Uruguay's representative at the

. Dr. Guani was appointed Foreign Minister by

Alfredo Baldomir Alfredo Baldomir Ferrari (August 27, 1884 – February 25, 1948) was a Uruguayan soldier, architect and politician. He served as President of Uruguay from 1938 to 1943 and is most notable for leading Uruguay to support the Allies during World ...

, and served in that office from 1938 to 1943. Guani fought against fascism at the Pan American Conference (1938), at the Third Consultation Meeting (1941), he established the basis for the fulfillment of inter-American military agreements, through the statutes declared on the "Guani Doctrine". Between 1939 and 1943 Guani was the Minister of Foreign Affairs. As Chancellor of the Republic of Uruguay during the presidency of Alfredo Baldomir, Guani was instrumental in the diplomatic battle that arose with the German battleship Graf Spee. The German battleship sought refuge at the shores of Uruguay in what came to be known as the Battle of the River Plate on Dec 13, 1939. In the November 1942 elections, Guani was selected as the running-mate of

Juan José de Amézaga Juan José de Amézaga Landaroso (January 28, 1881 – August 21, 1956) was a Uruguayan political figure. Background Amézaga was a prominent member of the Colorado Party, which ruled the country for long periods. He was a lawyer by pro ...

when they won the primary of the Colorado Party. Duly elected, he was Uruguay's Vice President from 1943 to 1947, succeeding

Alfredo Navarro Alfredo Navarro (4 May 1868 – 17 May 1951) was a Uruguayan political figure. Background Navarro was a prominent member of the Colorado party in the 1930s. He was a noted medical doctor. Vice President of Uruguay Navarro served as Vice Pres ...

in that office. He was himself succeeded in 1947 by

Luis Batlle Berres Luis Conrado Batlle y Berres (26 November 1897 – 15 July 1964) was a Uruguayan political figure. Background Batlle Berres was a journalist and prominent member of the Uruguayan Colorado Party. He was selected — in hindsight, with far- ...

in the office of

Vice President of Uruguay The vice president of Uruguay is the person with the second highest position in the executive branch of the Uruguayan government, after the President of Uruguay. The Vice President replaces the elected President in case of his death or absence. The ...

. Guani was the author of several texts among them; The Italian Homeland and The Budget of the Republic and several important Conferences and Courses.

Death and legacy

Alberto Guani died in

on November 26, 1956. Guani was the third person to hold the office of

. The office dates from 1934. Among the various holders of the historically intermittent office of

, Guani arguably stands apart from most other holders in that he is chiefly remembered for his achievements (in his case, distinguished diplomacy) prior to taking the office. Unlike some other prominent office-holders, he has also relatively escaped criticism for having served the Administration of

Gabriel Terra José Luis Gabriel Terra Leivas ( Montevideo, 1 August 1873 - Montevideo, 15 September 1942) was a lawyer and politician of batllista origin in Uruguay, and advisor to all Uruguayan governments on diplomatic, Economic and financial issu ...

, who ruled by decree.

References

External links

Biography of Dr. Alberto Guani

Career

Death and legacy

References

External links

See also