Manuel Franco (July 9, 1871 – June 5, 1919) was

President of Paraguay The president of Paraguay (), officially known as the president of the Republic of Paraguay (), is the head of the executive branch of the government of Paraguay, serving as both head of state and head of government according to the Constitu ...

from August 15, 1916, to June 5, 1919.

Childhood and Youth

Doctor Manuel Franco was born in Concepción on June 9, 1871, in times of the government of

Cirilo Antonio Rivarola Cirilo Antonio Rivarola Acosta (1836 – 31 December 1878) was the 4th List of Presidents of Paraguay, President of Paraguay and served from 1870 to 1871. Biography The Rivarola family was important in Paraguayan politics throughout the 19th ce ...

. Manuel was son of Josefa Antonio Franco and was baptized in the Church of Concepción by Father Evaristo Serrano. He never married but during his life fathered four children: Evaristo, Fernando, María Ana and Manuel Franco Jr. After concluding his elementary studies, the young Manuel, accompanied by his aunt Trifona Franco de Isnardi, traveled to

Asunción Asunción (, ) is the capital and the largest city of Paraguay. The city stands on the eastern bank of the Paraguay River, almost at the confluence of this river with the Pilcomayo River. The Paraguay River and the Bay of Asunción in the north ...

to continue his studies. He got in the National School as a boarder. He moved to the Capital in 1891. He was fellow student of Adolfo Riquelme and Eugenio A. Garay. He went to Law School where he got a PhD.

Career

His limited resources forced him, during his university studies, to accept bureaucratic positions. In 1893 he was appointed 1st official of the General Accounting Secretary of the Nation and in 1894 Book-keeper of the same institution. In spite of his liberal position about politics, he pursued a career in the public administration. In August 1899, he integrated the National Council of Education, along with Manuel Domínguez. President Escurra appointed him, in June 1903, Director of the

Colegio Nacional de la Capital Colegio Nacional de la Capital "Gral. Bernardino Caballero" (or simply CNC) is a public high school in Asuncion, Paraguay. The school is one of the most prestigious in Paraguay. Many personalities have studied there. History The CNC was establi ...

, position he occupied until his replacement in 1907 by Cleto Romero. In May 1905, he became part of the commission in charge of investigate the regimen of

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

(a political party) government after it was overthrown. Other members of this commission were Gerónimo Zubizarreta and Francisco Rolón. During the government of

Emiliano González Navero Emiliano González Navero (16 June 1861 – 18 October 1934) was a Paraguayan politician of the Liberal Party, he served as President of Paraguay on three occasions and as Vice President of Paraguay on two occasions. His life He was one of ...

, Manuel was appointed Minister of Justice and in 1908, Minister of the Interior. Months later he became Director of the Agricultural Bank and in 1910 he obtained the tenure of the Supreme Court of Justice, along with Francisco C. Chávez and Manuel Burgos. In 1912 he was Senator of the nation. In 1913, he became Director of Public Prosecutions Ad Hoc and in 1916 he returned to his place at the Senate. His activity in politics was result of his constant interactions with renowned people in the intellectual world. He was part of a radical group of Liberalismo (a political party) and had Manuel Gondra as his mentor. In 1911, along with Gondra, Schaerer, Montero and

, was part of the Revolutionary Board in Pilar,

Ñeembucú Ñeembucú (; Paraguayan Guaraní, Guaraní: ''Ñe'ẽmbuku'') is a Departments of Paraguay, department located in the south of the Eastern Region of Paraguay. The capital is Pilar, Paraguay, Pilar. The department is almost entirely rural, and ...

. After the Great War was over, in the circumstances of total ruin, new factors started to operate, some of them good for the continuity and expansion of culture and education. According to

Josefina Plá María Josefina Teodora Plá Guerra Galvany (9 November 1903 in Isla de Lobos, Canary Islands, Spain – 11 January 1999 in Asunción, Paraguay) was a Spanish-born Paraguayan poet, playwright, journalist, art critic, sculptor, ceramicist, an ...

two factors contributed: the return of a minority of educated Paraguayans that were abroad and that would form the leading class, and immigration, with people that came to the country and participated actively in the civic reconstruction of the country.

Teaching career

He was always preoccupied about the flaws in the education system. As a teacher, he dedicated himself to utilize his knowledge to apply them for teaching. He was professor of Civic Law and Morals in the Colegio Nacional de la Capital and Law School of the Asunción's National University, where he also taught Civil Law. He was also Rector of the university in 1912.

Government

He assumed the Presidency of Paraguay on August 15, 1916 – until June 5, 1919. He was candidate for the Liberal Party and received the position from Eduardo Scharer. The vice-president that accompanied him was

José P. Montero José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced very differently in each of the two languages: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , ...

. Paraguay acquired diplomatic prestige thanks to the designation of the people he made representatives of the country. They were: Manuel Gondra in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

, Fulgencio R. Moreno in

Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...

and

Cecilio Báez Cecilio Báez González (January 1, 1862 – June 18, 1941) was provisional List of Presidents of Paraguay, President of Paraguay from December 8, 1905 to November 25, 1906. He was a member of the Liberal Party (Paraguay), Liberal Party. Early l ...

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

. He traced objectives in his government, giving priority to the professional education, the land reform, the implementation of the secret vote and the fixing of the currency value. He didn't neglected the subject of education, about that he favored the educational plan of 1904 and years later the statute that ruled the teacher's payment. He paid attention to Asunción's appearance and transformed the big market into a public square. He formed a first class ministerial cabinet, selecting the most noticeable of intelligence in Paraguayan politics: Luis A. Riart, Manuel Gondra,

Félix Paiva Félix Paiva (21 February 1877, Caazapá, Caazapá Department – 2 November 1965, Asunción) was a Paraguayan politician from the Liberal Party. His mother was Martina Paiva. He was married to Silvia Esther Heisecke, and had 6 sons, Armando, A ...

Eligio Ayala José Eligio Ayala (4 December 1879 – 24 October 1930) was President of Paraguay from 12 April 1923 to 17 March 1924 and again from 15 August 1924 until 15 August 1928. He was a member of the Liberal Party. Life Jose Eligio Ayala was born i ...

and Ernesto Velázquez. He acted with impartiality and named Republicans too for public positions. His government stood out for its capacity and honesty.

Death

Manuel died of a heart attack, in office on June 5, 1919, and the Vice-president José P. Montero assumed the Presidency. The old street Del Sol (later called Espinoza and after Villarrica) of Asunción receive the name of Presidente Franco (President Franco). That's also the name of one of the most important arteries in Concepción; it goes from the port to the Avenue Pinedo.

References

* Los presidentes del Paraguay. Raúl Amaral * Manuel Franco. Un gobernante ejemplar y austero. Juan Samaniego * Historia de la cultura del Paraguay. Victor Ayala Queirolo {{DEFAULTSORT:Franco, Manuel 1871 births 1919 deaths People from Concepción, Paraguay Paraguayan people of Spanish descent Liberal Party (Paraguay) politicians Presidents of Paraguay Interior ministers of Paraguay Government ministers of Paraguay Members of the Senate of Paraguay 19th-century Paraguayan lawyers Universidad Nacional de Asunción alumni