Jaime Gerardo Roberto Marcelino María Ortiz (24 September 1886 – 15 July 1942) was

President of Argentina The president of Argentina, officially known as the president of the Argentine Nation, is both head of state and head of government of Argentina. Under Constitution of Argentina, the national constitution, the president is also the Head of go ...

from 1938 until his resignation in 1942. He became president in 1938 following the 1937 presidential election, described as being among the most fraudulent in Argentine history. His main management objective was to end

fraud In law, fraud is intent (law), intentional deception to deprive a victim of a legal right or to gain from a victim unlawfully or unfairly. Fraud can violate Civil law (common law), civil law (e.g., a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrato ...

. The attempt to normalize the institutions confronted him with his vice president, Ramón Castillo, leader of the

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

sectors of the government coalition. The president and vice president belonged to different political groupings. Ortiz was a

radical Radical (from Latin: ', root) may refer to: Politics and ideology Politics *Classical radicalism, the Radical Movement that began in late 18th century Britain and spread to continental Europe and Latin America in the 19th century *Radical politics ...

antipersonnel and Castillo, a

in the National Democratic Party. Both were part of the formula of Concordancia, a coalition that had ruled since 1932.

Life

Ortiz was 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 ...

on 24 September 1886. As a student at the

University of Buenos Aires The University of Buenos Aires (, UBA) is a public university, public research university in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is the second-oldest university in the country, and the largest university of the country by enrollment. Established in 1821 ...

, he participated in the unsuccessful Argentine Revolution of 1905. In 1909 he graduated from the university and became a lawyer. He became active in the

Radical Civic Union The Radical Civic Union (, UCR) is a major political party in Argentina. It has reached the national government on ten occasions, making it one of the most historically important parties in the country. Ideologically, the party has stood for r ...

and was elected to the

Argentine National Congress The National Congress of Argentina () is the legislative branch of the government of Argentina. Its composition is bicameral, constituted by a 72-seat Senate and a 257-seat Chamber of Deputies. The Senate, a third of whose members are elected to ...

in 1920. He served as Minister of Public Works from 1925 to 1928. He supported the

Revolution of 1930 The Revolution of 1930 () was an armed insurrection across Brazil that ended the Old Republic. The revolution replaced incumbent president Washington Luís with defeated presidential candidate and revolutionary leader Getúlio Vargas, conclu ...

and served as Minister of the Treasury from 1936 to 1937. Beside his support for the coup d'état he rejected José Félix Uriburu's attempt to create a "corporatist" government (inspired by Mussolini's fascism in Italy), arguing that this model was not working in Europe.

Presidency

In the presidential elections of 1937, he was the official government candidate and won, though the opposition accused him of participating in fraud, as irregularities were widespread. Ortiz never denied these charges, but once he took office, he tried to make Argentine politics more open and democratic. Soon after becoming president, Ortiz became seriously ill with

diabetes Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...

and on 3 July 1940, he delegated his powers to Vice President Ramón Castillo. He favored the

Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not an explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are calle ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, but because of opposition within the army, he did not break relations with the

Axis powers The Axis powers, originally called the Rome–Berlin Axis and also Rome–Berlin–Tokyo Axis, was the military coalition which initiated World War II and fought against the Allies of World War II, Allies. Its principal members were Nazi Ge ...

. He resigned from the presidency on 24 July 1942, three weeks before dying of

bronchial pneumonia Bronchopneumonia is a subtype of pneumonia. It is the acute inflammation of the bronchi, accompanied by inflamed patches in the nearby lobules of the lungs. citing: Webster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition, Copyright 2014 It is ofte ...

at age 55.

Honours

Order of Isabella the Catholic - Sash of Collar

Order of Isabella the Catholic The Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic (; Abbreviation, Abbr.: OYC) is a knighthood and one of the three preeminent Order of merit, orders of merit bestowed by the Kingdom of Spain, alongside the Order of Charles III (established in 1771) and ...

FIN Order of the White Rose Grand Cross BAR

Order of the White Rose of Finland The Order of the White Rose of Finland (; ) is one of three official orders in Finland, along with the Order of the Cross of Liberty, and the Order of the Lion of Finland. The President of Finland is the Grand Master of all three orders. The ...

References

External links

* Presidents of Argentina People of the Infamous Decade 1886 births 1942 deaths Ministers of economy of Argentina Members of the Argentine Chamber of Deputies elected in Buenos Aires National Democratic Party (Argentina) politicians Radical Civic Union politicians 20th-century Argentine lawyers Lawyers from Buenos Aires University of Buenos Aires alumni Deaths from diabetes in Argentina 20th-century Argentine politicians 20th-century presidents of Argentina Ministers of social welfare of Argentina Order of the White Rose of Finland Collars of the Order of Isabella the Catholic {{Argentina-politician-stub

Life

Presidency

Honours

See also

References

External links