Pablo Busch | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of Busch,c. 1930 | |
| Born | Paul Busch (1867-11-04)4 November 1867 |
| Died | 3 May 1950(1950-05-03) (aged 82) Portachuelo, Santa Cruz, Bolivia |
| Occupations |
|
| Spouses | |
| Partner(s) | Petrona Baldivieso(c. 1908–1910) |
| Children | 9, includingGermán |
| Relatives | Alberto Natusch (grandson) |
Pablo Busch Wiesener (bornPaul Busch;[α] 4 November 1867 – 3 May 1950) was a German-born Bolivian explorer, physician, and politician. He served assubprefect ofÑuflo de Chávez Province from 1924 to 1925 and was the father ofGermán Busch, thepresident of Bolivia from 1937 to 1939.
Born inKönigsaue and educated as a surgeon, Buschemigrated fromImperial Germany toeastern Bolivia [es] during theAmazon rubber boom. He was ashareholder andbranch manager of the German-runtrading company Zeller & Co., and made severalmedical expeditions alongthe Amazon and its tributaries. Busch led anomadic lifestyle, with a presence in various communities inBeni andSanta Cruz. He started and abandoned multiple families and left many descendants throughout his lifetime.
During theAcre War, Busch lent logistical support to the Bolivianexpeditionary force commanded by PresidentJosé Manuel Pando. He gained recognition for his anti-blockade actions againstBrazilian separatists. A member of theRepublican Party, he was subprefect of the Ñuflo de Chávez Province. His imposition of order amid rampantbanditry gave him a reputation for ruthlessness across thedepartment.
Busch reconnected with his son Germán in 1937 and was a trusted member of the president's administration. Historians partially attribute his influence to improvedBolivian–German relations during this time. Busch was caught in Germany during theoutbreak of World War II and wasinterned by the United Kingdom afterthe conflict's conclusion. Bolivian diplomatic efforts secured hisrepatriation, and he died inPortachuelo in 1950.
Paul Busch was born on 4 November 1867 inKönigsaue, anagrarian settlement in the fertileMagdeburg Börde, in what is now theBördeland Municipality ofSaxony-Anhalt.[2] His father, Ferdinand Busch, wasKapellmeister ofSt. John's [de], theLutheran church in neighboringEickendorf, and taughtmusic andmathematics there and in the adjacent villages. His mother was Bertha Wiesener, and he was one of between four and seven siblings.[3][β]
Of his three known brothers, only one, Georg, accompanied Busch abroad. He moved to Bolivia in 1906, where he captained asteamboat that traversed theMamoré River in the employ of his brother's company. After four years, he returned to Germany to work inNeumünster. Another brother, Wilhelm, studiedphilology inBerlin and spent his life as a school professor.[5] Little is known of "Juan" – a translation of either Johann, Johannes, or Hans – the presumed eldest brother. Anaccountant andmerchant,oral history states that he founded abrewery.[6]
Busch completed hisprimary education in Eickendorf and attendedsecondary in neighboring Magdeburg. He graduated as a physician inHalle an der Saale and completed specialist medical training at several German institutes.[7][γ] He received adoctorate in surgery with a specialization intropical diseases from a university in Berlin.[11] WriterCarlos Montenegro states that Busch was "little more than in his mid-adolescence" by the time he completed his university studies.[12]
In 1890, at age 23, Buschimmigrated to Bolivia to seek a career in education. The exact motives for his departure are unclear.[6] Historian Delia Heinrich states that he was forced intoexile due to hisanti-monarchist views.[8] Busch booked passage on theHamburg America Line and made port inBuenos Aires.[13] From there, he traveled by land through the northern Argentine trail, passing the cities ofRosario,Santa Fe, andSantiago del Estero towardthe Bolivian frontier.[11]En route, he was attacked bybandits but fought off his attackers. In a tale recounted by historian Mario Gabriel Hollweg, Busch fractured one bandit's skull with hiscane and delivered the other to the police himself.[9]
Upon his arrival in Bolivia, Busch settled inSanta Cruz de la Sierra, a city isolated from theAndean west [es] but which benefited from the flourishingrubber boom.[14] There, Busch developed a close friendship with Wálter Villinger, a compatriot fromBiberach an der Riß inBaden, who invited him to enter business with oneEmilio Zeller.[15] Awholesaler who emigrated from Baden around the 1880s, Zeller had established himself as the largestindustrialist in theBolivian orient [es].[16] His jointtrading company primarily dealt in theimport-export trade but had a hand in several industries and operated a sizeable fleet of steamboats.[17] Villinger and Busch's involvement with Zeller gave rise to Zeller, Villinger & Co., with Busch as one of the firm's mainshareholders.[18]
Over the following years, Busch navigated the many tributaries of theAmazon basin, which connected isolated communities to the major eastern population centers. He attended – oftenpro bono – to the medical needs of localindigenous tribes.[19] According to Hollweg, his penchant for accuratediagnoses, efficient treatments, and therapeutic accomplishments led some to label him a "witch orcurandero".[9] Between 1893 and 1895, Busch settled inTrinidad, Beni, where he practiced medicine and managed thebranch office of his partners' firm. However, dissatisfaction with sedentary life spurred him to move on. For the next eight years, Busch lived as a semi-nomad. His recurrentmedical expeditions and business ventures on behalf of Zeller led him to frequent several riverside communities in thedepartments ofBeni andSanta Cruz, especiallyBaures, the site of his trade office, andSan Javier, where he owned a residence.[20]
Busch supported the Bolivian camp during theAcre conflict, between 1899 and 1903. The dispute centered around armed attempts byseparatist Brazilianfilibusters to seize control of Bolivia's rubber-richnorthern territories [es].[21] Bolivian forces drew sizablevolunteer support from Germanexpats, many of whom were employed by corporations operating in the region.[22] Busch put his steamboat at the service of the Bolivian expedition, supplying food and ammunition. His successful efforts in breaking through the separatistblockade, wherein he was nearly taken prisoner, earned him a letter of recognition from PresidentJosé Manuel Pando, who commanded Bolivian troops in the field.[23]
In 1904, Busch relocated to Baures inIténez Province, where he worked asbranch manager of Zeller & Co., whose local office had become the town's largest trading house. Here, in 1909, he co-founded the secondpublishing company in Beni using aprinting press imported from Germany. It publishedEl Porvenir, the department's onlynewspaper outside of Trinidad.[24]
During this time, Busch continued his routine river expeditions. In 1908, while navigating either the Mamoré orIténez River, his vessel was ambushed by aCayubaba tribe. The attack left Busch gravely wounded in the stomach, but he managed to make port inPuerto Ballivián [es] before being transferred to Trinidad. A local doctor removed anarrow shaft from hisabdomen but could not extract thepoint lodged in hisvertebra.[25] In Baures on 23 July, Busch signed his finalwill and testament.[26]
Busch elected to seek treatment in his native Germany. He was transported by river from Trinidad to thetransatlantic port ofBelém do Pará and spent thirty days aboard a Germansteamship bound for Hamburg. There, Busch underwent several successful operations, where it was shown that he had suffered sevengastrointestinal perforations. He spent the next few years inconvalescence in Germany, where medical expenses forced him to sell off his stocks in Zeller & Co.[27]
Busch reentered Beni by way of theMadeira and Mamoré rivers in either 1910 or 1911.[28] He established asmall enterprise selling imported hardware, but the venture fell through.[29] He spent short stints in thehamlets ofYaguarú andEl Puente inGuarayos Province and practiced medicine among theindigenous peoples of the surroundingFranciscan missions.[30] From there, Busch moved to theÑuflo de Chávez Province.[31] He settled permanently inConcepción and returned to Zeller & Co. as an advisor and physician for the local branch.[32] During this time, Busch also worked for the British firms Anglo-Bolivian Rubber Co. and Trading Co. Ltda.[28]
Beginning around 1918, it became common for prominent Germans in Santa Cruz to acquireBolivian citizenship and participate inlocal government.[33] Busch served aschief physician in the Public Health Service of Concepción.[30] When a1920 coup d'état inLa Paz unseated the reigningLiberal government and installed theRepublicans,[34] Busch joined the party, attracted by itspopulist platform.[35] The new government faced constant opposition from the deposed Liberals and operated under astate of exception for several years.[36] The province of Ñuflo de Chávez had a similar political situation, as well as rampantbanditry.[37] To quell the unrest, the administration ofBautista Saavedra named Buschsubprefect in June 1924.[38] Previous authorities – includingCésar Banzer, a personal friend of Busch[39] – had all struggled to pacify the province.[40]
During his term, Busch became known as a harsh authority for the "severe methods" applied to bring order to the province.[41] His efforts, says historian Robert Brockmann, were consistently opposed by the Liberals, who "suffered first-hand the harshness of [Busch's] selective kindness".[42] Busch led a relentless campaign to stamp out banditry and apprehend theoutlaw Carmelo Hurtado,[43] who had gained a reputation as a "romantic brigand" and became a popularfolk hero among the people.[44] According to Brockmann, in the conflict between Busch and Hurtado, "it is impossible to separate fiction from reality".[45] One account tells of Busch confronting Hurtado in anarmed skirmish. The bandit supposedly had the chance to kill Busch but chose to spare him because "he treated the poor for free".[46] By the end of his term, the inhabitants of Concepción were on the verge of rebellion and his reputation for ruthlessness reached as far as Santa Cruz de la Sierra.[47] Busch was dismissed on 6 October 1925 after sixteen months in office.[48]
During astopover in Trinidad on an expedition in 1892, Busch met Raquel Becerra Villavicencio.[49] They maintained an intermittent romantic relationship between Busch's regular comings and goings and were wed in Trinidad on 12 June 1893.[50] Busch fathered five children during his marriage with Becerra. Due to the couple's itinerant lifestyle, only the eldest, Josefina, was born on 8 May 1895 in Trinidad – although even her birthplace is stated asSanta Ana del Yacuma in Busch's testament. The remaining four were all delivered along the routes of Busch's expeditions. Bertha Beni was born on 18 February 1897 in eitherVilla Bella or somewhere along theBeni River between there andCachuela Esperanza. Elisa and Pablo were born on 27 January 1900 and 27 November 1901, respectively, both in San Javier.[51][δ] The birthplace of Busch's fifth and youngest son with Becerra,Germán, born 23 March 1903, remainsa subject of debate among scholars, who claim eitherEl Carmen del Iténez [es] or San Javier as the site.[53]
Josefina married Miguel Kiyoto, aJapanese immigrant and grocer, in 1932.[54] Bertha married Samuel Ávila Alvarado in 1911, from which the prominent Ávila–Busch and Ávila–Chávez families of Trinidad descend.[55] Acattle rancher [es], Ávila later served as a diplomat andsenator.[56] Elisa married theprofessor Alberto Natusch Velasco in San Javier on 27 January 1900;[57] through them, Busch is the maternal grandfather ofAlberto Natusch Busch, thepresident of Bolivia in 1979.[58] The junior Pablo became a physician like his father, according Brockmann; different versions state that he either succumbed todrug addiction in his youth and died of anoverdose in April 1932 or was poisoned and robbed on the road to Trinidad.[59]
[Pablo] Busch lacked affection for anyone and in general was a bad father and a worse husband.
Months after the birth of Germán, Busch abandoned the family.[61] According to his granddaughter, Gloria Busch Carmona, the family narrative is that Busch "saw a beautiful 14-year-old girl, fell madly in love, and left [Becerra] and their children to go with her".[62] Busch remainedestranged from his family; he and Becerra reunited only once in 1938, and he wasabsent in his children's lives well into adulthood.[63]
Throughout his life, Germán sent sporadic letters to Busch, which went unanswered. He finally agreed to meet in 1937 after his son wrote a final message framed as an ultimatum.[64] On 5 July, Germán departed for Concepción on a smallJunkers W 34, but the plane did not arrive as intended.[65] His apparent disappearance plunged Busch into a deepdepression.[66] Busch later narrated that he had given himself one hour for Germán to arrive or else "I would shoot myself, because, fallen in the forest and devoured by vermin, [my son] would have died because of me, because of the longing to see his father".[67] Within the hour, the plane landed and the two reunited.[68]
Three days after his return from Concepción,[69] Germán became president of Bolivia.[70] From then on, Busch – who, by all accounts, had never before set foot in La Paz – became a common presence in thePalacio Quemado.[71] Matilde Carmona, thefirst lady, resented Busch's "sudden paternal devotion" because it seemed to her self-serving.[72] For Brockmann, "the filial love of a father who disregards ... his newborn son and then clings to him when he becomes powerful is doubtful".[73]
Because of his outsized influence, "it is very probable" that the president's German-born father played a role in the Bolivian government'sdeepened ties with theThird Reich during this time.[74] Busch met with multiple German officials on behalf of the administration; he discussed economic relations withErnst Wendler andJoachim von Ribbentrop and attended anopera withAdolf Hitler, whom he gifted avicuña wool quilt.[75]
During his time in Baures, Busch met Petrona Baldivieso, themestiza daughter of the localcacique. Busch and Baldivieso never married.[76] They had one child, Carlos, born in Baures on 23 April 1908.[77] Months later, Busch left to receive medical treatment in Germany, and did not return to Baldivieso nor their son.[78] Carlos later served with distinction in theChaco War, where he rose to the rank oflieutenant.[79] He waschief of police of Santa Cruz de la Sierra in 1938, during the administration of his half-brother. He was murdered along with his daughter in 1946.[80]
In 1912, Busch married Enriqueta Antelo Hurtado, a woman from Santa Rosa de la Mina, whom he had met a few days prior. Their first son, Gustavo was born in 1915 anddied in infancy.[28] Their second son, also named Gustavo, was born in El Puente on 21 April 1916.[81] Gustavo studiedbusiness management and became a broadcaster andradio personality; he owned the stations Libertad in La Paz and Centenario in Santa Cruz.[82] Dora, the youngest of Busch's children, was born in Concepción on 16 May 1928.[28] Her son,Herland Vaca Díez Busch,[83] served as president of thePro-Santa Cruz Civic Committee [es] from 2011 to 2013.[84]
Busch departed for Germany to receivecataract surgery on 10 May 1939.[85] He was inGenoa when he received thetelegram reporting the suddensuicide in office of his son, Germán, on 23 August. Like many in the Busch family, he blamed the death on his in-laws, the Carmonas.[86] Busch was caught in Germany during theoutbreak of World War II on 1 September; he remained trapped in the Third Reich for the duration of the conflict.[87] Despite his advanced age, he was pressed into service as afield surgeon operating out of Neumünster inSchleswig-Holstein.[88] Upon the war's conclusion, Busch wasinterned in a Britishprisoner-of-war camp and was stripped of hisdiplomatic passport byJosé Saavedra, an erstwhile political rival of his late son.[89] The ordeal left Busch undocumented alongsidemillions of other displaced Germans.[90]
Through the diplomatic efforts ofAniceto Solares, theBolivian foreign minister who lobbied British authorities, Busch and other nationals were released andrepatriated.[90] He reentered Bolivia in either 1946 or 1948.[91] Prior to his return, Busch married his niece, some forty years his junior, who accompanied him back to Bolivia. Unable toacclimate to thetropical climate, she returned to Germany shortly thereafter.[92] The government ofCarlos Quintanilla had granted Busch alife pension ofBs 2,000 monthly, which he never received.[93] He spent his final years inPortachuelo, where he died on 3 May 1950. Hollweg states he died ofpneumonia, but Brockmann says that his family does not know the cause of death.[90] His remains are entombed in the Kiyoto–Busch familymausoleum in La Paz.[8]
Aneccentric figure, described by historians as equal partsphilanthropic and cruel, accounts of Busch's life are steeped infolklore and often contradictory. His legacy is closely intertwined with that of his son, Germán.[94] For Brockmann, Busch was an "intrepid pioneer ... to whom Bolivia also owes the exploration of many rivers ... at a time when such an adventure required valor and temerity".[95] His deeds "left legend in San Javier and Concepción, where with a tall hat, surgical case, and rifle, he waged war against the fearsomebrigands of those regions", recountsAugusto Céspedes.[96]
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