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Arturo Alessandri | |
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| 17th and 21stPresident of Chile | |
| In office 24 December 1932 – 24 December 1938 | |
| Preceded by | Abraham Oyanedel(acting) |
| Succeeded by | Pedro Aguirre Cerda |
| In office 12 March 1925 – 1 October 1925 | |
| Preceded by | Emilio Bello Codesido |
| Succeeded by | Luis Barros Borgoño(acting) |
| In office 23 December 1920 – 9 September 1924 | |
| Preceded by | Juan Luis Sanfuentes |
| Succeeded by | Luis Altamirano |
| Senator of the Republic of Chile for the 4th Provincial Grouping ofSantiago | |
| In office 1949 – 24 August 1950 | |
| Succeeded by | Arturo Matte Larraín |
| President of the Senate of Chile | |
| In office 22 June 1949 – 24 August 1950 | |
| Succeeded by | Fernando Alessandri |
| In office 22 May 1945 – 31 May 1949 | |
| Preceded by | José Francisco Urrejola Menchaca |
| Succeeded by | Humbero Álvarez Suárez |
| Senator of the Republic of Chile for the 6th Provincial Grouping ofCuricó,Talca, Maule andLinares | |
| In office 1944 – 15 May 1949 | |
| Preceded by | Amador Pairoa Trujillo |
| Minister of the Interior | |
| In office 22 April 1918 – 6 September 1918 | |
| President | Juan Luis Sanfuentes |
| Succeeded by | Pedro García de la Huerta Izquierdo |
| Minister of Finance | |
| In office 16 June 1913 – 17 November 1913 | |
| President | Ramón Barros Luco |
| Preceded by | Manuel Rivas Vicuña |
| Succeeded by | Ricardo Salas Edwards |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1868-12-20)December 20, 1868 Longaví,Chile |
| Died | August 24, 1950(1950-08-24) (aged 81) Santiago,Chile |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Spouse | Rosa Ester Rodríguez |
| Children | |
| Alma mater | University of Chile |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Signature |  |
Arturo Fortunato Alessandri Palma (Latin American Spanish:[aɾˈtuɾoaleˈsandɾiˈpalma]; December 20, 1868 – August 24, 1950) was aChileanpolitical figure and reformer who served thrice aspresident of Chile, first from 1920 to 1924, then from March to October 1925, and finally from 1932 to 1938.
Arturo Alessandri was the son of Pedro Alessandri Vargas and Susana Palma Guzmán. His grandfather, Pietro Allesandri Tarzi, was an Italian immigrant fromTuscany who had arrived in Chile from Argentina in 1850. Alessandri’s father, Pedro, became head of the family at the age of 19; at the time of Alessandri’s birth, he ran an estate inLongaví. At the age of 12, Alessandri enrolled at theSacred Hearts High School, where his brothers and father had studied.
At the age of 20, Alessandri began his legal studies at theUniversity of Chile.[1] In 1891, while studying, he participated in the newspaperLa Justicia, which was opposed to then PresidentJosé Manuel Balmaceda. After graduating in 1893, Alessandri marriedRosa Ester Rodríguez Velasco, with whom he had 9 children.
In 1897, Alessandri began his political career, becoming a member of theLiberal Party and representative ofCuricó, a seat he would keep for nearly 20 years. In 1915, already aspiring to the presidency, Alessandri challenged the senator ofTarapacá Province,Arturo del Río; he won a hard-fought victory, from where he earned the nickname of "León de Tarapacá" ("Lion of Tarapacá").
In 1920, Alessandri was theLiberal Alliance candidate for president, narrowly defeating his opponent of the Coalition Party,Luis Barros Borgoño. With speeches favoring the working class, Alessandri alarmed Chilean conservatives, who felt their interests were in jeopardy. Since the opposition controlled the National Congress, Alessandri favored strengthening the executive power, which lacked political weight before the Congress (Parliamentary Era).
During most of 1924, Chile had been politically paralyzed by a conflict between the President and the conservatively controlled Congress, who refused to enact the laws that he submitted. On September 3, 1924, a group of 56 military officers protested for their low salaries, in the incident known as theruido de sables (or "saber-rattling"). The next day the same group of young military officers led by ColonelMarmaduque Grove and MajorCarlos Ibáñez del Campo, created the "military committee" to defend themselves from the government. On September 5, the "military committee" demanded of President Alessandri the dismissal of three of his ministers, including the Minister of War; the enactment of a labor code, the passage of anincome tax law, and the improvement of the military salaries. Alessandri had no option but to appoint GeneralLuis Altamirano, the Army Inspector General, as head of a new cabinet. On September 8, General Altamirano appeared in front of Congress to demand the passage of eight laws, including Alessandri's labor code. Congress didn't dare to protest, and the laws were passed in a matter of hours.
At that point, Alessandri felt that he had become just a pawn of the military and on September 9, he resigned, and requested asylum at the US Embassy. Congress refused to accept his resignation, and instead granted him a six-month constitutional leave of absence. He left the country immediately for Italy. On September 11, a military Junta — theSeptember Junta — was established to rule the country in his absence.
The September Junta was not homogeneous, and quickly a progressive wing, headed byMarmaduke Grove andCarlos Ibáñez del Campo, developed contacts with theComité Obrero Nacional and others labour organizations who advocated for Alessandri's return. This led to acoup in January 1925, directed by Colonel Grove who handed out the power to GeneralPedro Dartnell as interim president while waiting for Alessandri's return. Dartnell formed theJanuary Junta, before retroceding the power to Alessandri on March 20, 1925. Alessandri hada new Constitution drafted, and approved byplebiscite by 134,421 voters on August 30. The Constitution, which was promulgated on September 18, 1925, reinforced presidential powers over the legislative. Furthermore, Alessandri created aCentral Bank, initiating the first rupture withlaissez faire policies.[2]
His second government began with the support of left-wing and radical groups. However, this second group began to distance itself from the President. In March 1925, Alessandri's government repressed a demonstration, leading to theMarusia massacre, soon followed byLa Coruña massacre. This break with the working classes caused him to try to maintain a right-wing-radical alliance until 1937, when it took a turn towards the left. In order to face the threats of a coup, Alessandri relied on the republican forces, entrusted with repressing any intent to revolt and never to get involved in politics. They were created shortly before Alessandri's return, as a consequence of the civil movement. They functioned in secret and then publicly, marching in a great parade May 7, 1933, in front of the President, who saluted them. They auto-disbanded in 1936, having considered their mission complete. The President asked the Parliament on several opportunities for the state of constitutional exception, resulting in illegal actions, such as the famous burning of theTopaze Magazine issue No. 285, which depicted a caricature of Alessandri he considered offensive.
That time was also marked by the appearance of new violent occurrences, such as the rural rebellion of Ránquil and their bloody repression, and theNazi-inspiredNational Socialist Movement of Chile ofJorge González von Marées. In the economic sphere, the recovery of thecrisis of 1929 was begun with the work of the Treasury MinisterGustavo Ross, a pragmatic liberal who implemented a "towards in" approach to growth. With respect to nitrates, he dissolvedCOSACH and created theCOVENSA (Corporation of Nitrate and Iodine Sale), a multi-faceted distributor and not a producer. He balanced the fiscal deficit with new taxes and resumed payment of the external debt, with losses for holders of Chilean bonds. When they reached a surplus, they focused on public works. The construction of theNational Stadium in Santiago, inaugurated in December 1938, stands out.
The degree of Alessandri's responsibility in the 1938Seguro Obrero massacre has been a subject of speculation.[citation needed]
His political life did not end with his presidency. Due to the death of the communist Senator of Curico, Talca, Linares and Maule, Amador Pairoa, he participated in a complementary Senatorial election and won, returning to the Senate on November 8. In 1949 he was reelected but this time for Santiago, while also chosen to be President of this body.
He was of vital importance in the presidential elections of 1942 and 1946, in the first by causing a division of votes of the liberals, supportingJuan Antonio Ríos, and in the second by presenting himself as a preliminary candidate of the liberals. He later yielded his candidacy to his sonFernando, resulting in the division of the presidential candidates of the right and conservative support for Dr.Eduardo Cruz-Coke, in turn favoring the victory ofGabriel González Videla. WhilePresident of the Senate of Chile, Alessandri died at the age of 82, on August 24, 1950, and was replaced by his sonFernando Alessandri. One of his other sons,Jorge Alessandri, was president of Chile from 1958 to 1964.
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Grand Cross with Diamonds of theOrder of the Dannebrog (4 October 1937)[3]
Grand Cross of theOrder of the Tower and Sword (6 July 1925)[4]
Grand Cross of theOrder of Naval Merit (1912)[5]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Minister of Industry and Public Works 1898-1899 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Finance 1913 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of the Interior 1918 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | President of Chile 1920-1924 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | President of Chile 1925 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | President of Chile 1932-1938 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | President of the Senate of Chile 1945-1949 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | President of the Senate of Chile 1949-1950 | Succeeded by |
