Manuel Gondra Pereira (1 January 1871 – 8 March 1927) was the 21st

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: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...

who served from 25 November 1910 to 11 January 1911 and again from 15 August 1920 to 31 October 1921. Born in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

, he was also an author, a journalist and a member of the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

. His first presidency was ended by the rise of

Albino Jara Colonel Albino Jara Benegas (28 February 1877 – 15 May 1912) was provisional President of Paraguay from 19 January 1911 to 5 July 1911. A military official, he was a member of the Liberal Party. He came to power in the 1911 military coup wherei ...

, and his second presidency by the Paraguayan Civil War of 1922, in which he led the ''Gondrist'' faction to victory. Manuel Gondra died on 8 March 1927 in

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 ...

Early life and career

Manuel Gondra was born on the 1 January 1871, Buenos Aires. Although he did well in school and was reportedly a good student, he chose to leave schooling, never achieving a diploma. Rather, he chose to be a self-taught scholar of many subjects, including the social sciences, history of

the Americas The Americas, sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America and South America.'' Webster's New World College Dictionary'', 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. When viewed as a sin ...

, and geography. He received some success in this field. However, his career as an intellectual came to a pause when he joined the Revolution of 1904 on the side of the Liberals. After this, he became the

Plenipotentiary A ''plenipotentiary'' (from the Latin ''plenus'' "full" and ''potens'' "powerful") is a diplomat who has full powers—authorization to sign a treaty or convention on behalf of a sovereign. When used as a noun more generally, the word can als ...

ambassador to Brazil in 1905. His diligence would see him later be assigned as the Minister of the Interior, then Minister of War and Navy, and then Minister of Foreign Affairs of Paraguay. In 1917 he was also made ambassador to the United States, a position he held until his second term as president started.

Presidential career

First tenure

Manuel Gondra's initial candidacy was widely supported by both intellectuals and the citizenry of Paraguay. He assumed office on 25 November 1910. As president of a Paraguay reeling from internal crises, Gondra was written by as having an "abulic temperament, to the despair of his friends, which has cost the country so much blood." Gondra's presidency came to an end when Colonel

launched a coup against him on 17 August 1911, despite sharing similar political agenda. This was a result of the collapsing liberal movement in Paraguay.

Second tenure

After much of the chaos following Jara's coup subsided, Manuel Gondra sought re-election. His campaign was met with victory, and he assumed office on 15 August 1920. However, this was not without its controversy. Immediately following, the supporters of the opposing candidate, ''schaereristas'', and their leader Eduardo Schaerer (who Gondra formerly served under) erupted into violence, in what became the Paraguayan Civil War. In this emerging civil war,

Eduardo Schaerer Eduardo Schaerer Vera y Aragón (2 December 1873 – 12 November 1941) was a Swiss-Paraguayan businessman, publisher and politician. He served as President of Paraguay from 1912 to 1916 for the Liberal Party, respectively briefly as the Mi ...

pressured the Interior Minister José Guggiari (a close ally) to resign, but Gondra resisted. For this pressure and lost power, he was forced into resignation on 31 October 1921.

References

1871 births 1927 deaths People from Buenos Aires Paraguayan people of Basque descent Liberal Party (Paraguay) politicians Presidents of Paraguay Ministers of foreign affairs of Paraguay Paraguayan diplomats Paraguayan male writers Leaders ousted by a coup Ambassadors of Paraguay to Brazil Ambassadors of Paraguay to the United States {{Paraguay-writer-stub