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

Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of 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 the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...

jurist A jurist is a person with expert knowledge of law; someone who analyzes and comments on law. This person is usually a specialist legal scholar, mostly (but not always) with a formal education in law (a law degree) and often a Lawyer, legal prac ...

diplomat A diplomat (from ; romanization, romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, nongovernmental institution to conduct diplomacy with one ...

and the

Vice President A vice president or 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 vi ...

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 (politics), speaker in some other assemblies. The senate president often ranks high in a jurisdiction's Order of succession, succes ...

from 1943 to 1947. Alberto Guani was born in

Montevideo Montevideo (, ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2023 census, the city proper has a population of 1,302,954 (about 37.2% of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...

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 – 20 October 1929), nicknamed ''Don Pepe'', was a prominent Uruguayan politician who served two terms as President of Uruguay for the Colorado Party. The son of a former president, ...

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 (LN or LoN; , SdN) 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 (1919–1920), Paris Peace ...

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, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

and

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

(1911), in

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

and the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

(1913), in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

(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 Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

(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. Uruguay was formally neutral in World War II during his presidency, but in ...

, 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 and 28th President of Uruguay. Background Amézaga was a prominent member of the Colorado Party, which ruled the country for long peri ...

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 politician who was President of Uruguay from 1947 to 1951. Background Batlle Berres was a journalist and prominent member of the Uruguayan Colorado Party. He was ...

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. Th ...

. 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 (August 1, 1873 – September 15, 1942) was a Uruguayan lawyer and statesman who served as the 26th constitutional president of Uruguay from 1931 to 1933 and as dictator until 1938. He led a traditionalist and ...

, who ruled by decree.

In fiction

* In the 1956 film '' The Battle of the River Plate'', directed by

Powell and Pressburger The British film-making partnership of Michael Powell (1905–1990) and Emeric Pressburger (1902–1988)—together often known as The Archers, the name of their production company—made a series of influential films in the 1940s and 1950s. T ...

, Guani was portrayed by

Peter Illing Peter Illing (4 March 1899 – 29 October 1966) was an Austrian-born British film and television actor. Selected TV series * '' The Four Just Men'' (1959) as Dr Mozek * '' Deadline Midnight'' (1961) as Captain Dnieprovsky * '' The Saint'' (1962 ...

References

External links

Biography of Dr. Alberto Guani

Career

Death and legacy

In fiction

References

External links

See also