politician
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...
and
president
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
Paraguayan Army
To win or to die
, march= Marcha al Mariscal Lopez
, mascot=
, equipment=
, equipment_label=
, battles= War of the Triple AllianceChaco War Paraguayan People's Army insurgency
, anniversaries= 24 of July (Mariscal Lopez Birthday)
, decorations=
, b ...
during the
Chaco War
The Chaco War ( es, link=no, Guerra del Chaco, gn, Cháko ÑorairõPresident of Paraguay
The president of Paraguay ( es, Presidente del Paraguay), officially known as the President of the Republic of Paraguay ( es, Presidente de la República del Paraguay), is according to the Constitution of Paraguay the head of the executive bran ...
from August 15, 1939, until his death in a
plane crash
An aviation accident is defined by the Convention on International Civil Aviation Annex 13 as an occurrence associated with the operation of an aircraft, which takes place from the time any person boards the aircraft with the ''intention of fl ...
on September 7, 1940.
He is known for being one of the
military officers
An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service.
Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer, or a warrant officer. However, absent context ...
of the
Paraguayan Army
To win or to die
, march= Marcha al Mariscal Lopez
, mascot=
, equipment=
, equipment_label=
, battles= War of the Triple AllianceChaco War Paraguayan People's Army insurgency
, anniversaries= 24 of July (Mariscal Lopez Birthday)
, decorations=
, b ...
who led
Paraguay
Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...
to victory in the
Chaco War
The Chaco War ( es, link=no, Guerra del Chaco, gn, Cháko ÑorairõBolivia, having been an excellent
military strategist
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...
during the war and becoming a
war hero
A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ''actor''), ''hero' ...
, being posthumously promoted to the rank of Field Marshal by
Decree-Law
A decree is a legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state (such as the president of a republic or a monarch), according to certain procedures (usually established in a constitution). It has the force of law. The particular term used for ...
No. 2984 of the Government of
Higinio Morínigo
Higinio Nicolás Morínigo Martínez (January 11, 1897 – January 27, 1983) was a military officer, politician and Paraguayan dictator. He participated in the Chaco War (1932–1935) as a prominent officer of the Paraguayan Army. After the wa ...
, in date September 7, 1940.
Early life
Estigarribia was of humble origin, the son of a peasant and silversmith, Mateo Estigarribia, and Casilda Insaurralde. He was born in the rural town of San Roque near Santa Elena,
Cordillera Department
Cordillera () is a department in Paraguay. The capital is the city of Caacupé.
History
During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries this area of the country was going through a serious crisis due to population bellicosity of the Indians f ...
, Paraguay. He went to the elementary school of his hometown and in 1908, he went to study at Trinity College of Agriculture. However, after he had obtained his diploma, Estigarribia switched careers and in 1910 joined the army with the rank of lieutenant of infantry.
Early career
Educated as an
agronomist
An agriculturist, agriculturalist, agrologist, or agronomist (abbreviated as agr.), is a professional in the science, practice, and management of agriculture and agribusiness. It is a regulated profession in Canada, India, the Philippines, the ...
, he joined the National Army in 1910 and spent time in
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
and in Saint Cyr's military academy in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
for additional training. He commanded the First Infantry Division during the
Chaco War
The Chaco War ( es, link=no, Guerra del Chaco, gn, Cháko Ñorairõbrigadier
Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. I ...
, division general, and commander-in-chief of the armed forces. In 1935, he made a victorious return to Asunción as "Hero of the Chaco War" and was awarded a lifetime pension of 1,000 gold pesos a month. He was dismissed from the position of armed forces chief after President
Eusebio Ayala
Eusebio Ayala (August 14, 1875 – June 4, 1942) was an intellectual and statesman, and President of Paraguay from 7 November 1921 to 12 April 1923 and again from 15 August 1932 to 17 February 1936. He was a member of the Liberal Party. He was over ...
Rafael Franco
Rafael de la Cruz Franco Ojeda (October 22, 1896 – September 16, 1973) was a Paraguayan military officer and politician, served as Provisional President of Paraguay from February 17, 1936, to August 13, 1937, being also the historical leader ...
, but served as Paraguay's ambassador to the United States.
He completed courses in Chile, from 1911 to 1913, the Military School of Bernardo O'Higgins. In 1917 he was promoted to captain. Played an important role in the revolution of 1922 in Paraguay and was later promoted to Major. For their skills was selected to attend the course staff, three-year at the École Supérieure de Guerre at
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
, where he was a disciple of General Maurice Gamelin and Marshal Foch. Estigarribia graduated there with top notes. On his return in 1928 was appointed Chief of Staff of the Army. Less than a year after being named was removed from office because of disagreements with the government regarding the strategy for defending the Chaco, "The Chaco should be advocated abandoning it," he argued, that is, the point was not occupy the land but to destroy the enemy. However, as the war against Bolivia seemed inevitable, the government decided that Lieutenant Colonel Estigarribia was the man who was needed in the Chaco. He was then 44 years. Small of stature, so peaceful, introspective, or his personality or his austere uniform of campaign-whose sleeves were invariably short-set him apart from the rest of the officers.
Chaco War
The definition of the Chaco War would be a war of communications in which the handling of space and time would be essential. He was determined for the Paraguayan government to accept its general mobilization plan and the beginning of the first offensive surprise Paraguay (September-December 1932) before Bolivia could mobilize its resources.
As commander-in-chief of the army and the conductor of operations, Estigarribia had a brilliant participation in the Chaco War (1932-1935). His strategy and tactics have since attracted the interest and the study of military academies around the world. He managed to stop the Bolivian advance towards the Paraguay River and destroyed powerful enemy divisions by flexibly using positional combat and guerrilla warfare techniques.
Since the army was under his command, Paraguay's maximum effort clearly led a successful military campaign against the Bolivian army, superior in men and resources, making back to the Rio Parapiti. His strategic thinking about the war of movement, the importance of logistics (especially water), concentration of forces surprise, the passage from the defensive to the offensive, and the thorough knowledge of the enemy and the terrain of operations placed him in a privileged among military drivers between the two world wars. He made the most of the officers under his command and was believed to exhibit the combative and moral virtues of a Paraguayan soldier.
He directed the Paraguayan Army during the first year of war with the rank of colonel. He was promoted to general after the victory of Campo Grande and Pozo Favorite. In recognition of services rendered to the defending the Chaco, he was promoted to the rank of marshal after his death in 1940.
Postwar
Estigarribia was elected president for a four-year term in 1939 and assumed office on August 15. Six months later on February 19, 1940, Estigarribia dissolved the legislature and suspended the Constitution. Declaring that "our nation is on the edge of horrible anarchy," he announced that democracy would be restored as soon as a workable constitutional framework could be designed.
It turned out to be an empty promise; within five months, he recast the constitution into a severely authoritarian document. The president was vested with sweeping powers to act for what he deemed to be the good of the state, while the legislature's powers were significantly curtailed. The constitution, approved in an August referendum, effectively transformed Estigarribia's presidency into a legal dictatorship.
On September 7, 1940, Estigarribia and his wife, First LadyJulia Miranda Cueto, were on a tour of the Paraguayan interior. On a trip from Altos to his country residence in San Bernardinos, his plane crashed in Agapuey and all on board were killed."Dictator of Paraguay is Killed in Airplane Crash," ''Oakland Tribune'', September 8, 1940, p. 1 Estigarribia was succeeded by
Higinio Morínigo
Higinio Nicolás Morínigo Martínez (January 11, 1897 – January 27, 1983) was a military officer, politician and Paraguayan dictator. He participated in the Chaco War (1932–1935) as a prominent officer of the Paraguayan Army. After the wa ...
and was posthumously promoted to the rank of marshal. His authoritarian constitution would remain in effect until 1967, when it was replaced with an equally authoritarian document that remained in effect until 1992.