Juan Pistarini (23 December 1882 – 29 May 1956) was an
Argentine
Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, s ...
general and politician.
Biography
Pistarini was born in the town of
Victorica,
La Pampa Province
La Pampa () is a sparsely populated province of Argentina, located in the Pampas in the center of the country. Neighboring provinces are from the north clockwise San Luis, Córdoba, Buenos Aires, Río Negro, Neuquén and Mendoza.
History
In ...
. He graduated from the
National Military College
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Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
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with a degree in
civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads, bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewage ...
, was promoted as army major by 1921, and became a close associate of the War Minister, General
Agustín Justo
Agustín is a Spanish given name and sometimes a surname. It is related to Augustín. People with the name include:
Given name
* Agustín (footballer), Spanish footballer
* Agustín Calleri (born 1976), Argentine tennis player
* Agustín Cár ...
.
Justo was elected president in 1932, and appointed Pistarini Minister of Public Works in 1935. Pistarini's his first important initiative as minister was the proposed construction of a new
international airport
An international airport is an airport with customs and border control facilities enabling passengers to travel between countries around the world. International airports are usually larger than domestic airports and they must feature longer ...
outside
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
. He was promoted to the rank of general in 1937 and, between then and 1940, was stationed in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
and
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
. Appointed Director of Army Engineers upon his return, Pistarini recommended German contractors for public works in Argentina and was open regarding his
Nazi
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...
and
Fascist
Fascism is a far-right, Authoritarianism, authoritarian, ultranationalism, ultra-nationalist political Political ideology, ideology and Political movement, movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and pol ...
sympathies.
His role in the
1943 coup d'état resulted in his appointment as director of the
Campo de Mayo army training base. He was returned to the post of Minister of Public Works in March 1944 and served a brief, concurrent term as vice president following the populist
Juan Perón
Juan Domingo Perón (, , ; 8 October 1895 – 1 July 1974) was an Argentine Army general and politician. After serving in several government positions, including Minister of Labour and Vice President of a military dictatorship, he was elected P ...
's
dismissal
Dismissal or dismissed may refer to:
Dismissal
*In litigation, a dismissal is the result of a successful ''motion to dismiss''. See motion
*Termination of employment, the end of employee's duration with an employer
**Dismissal (employment), ter ...
. Pistarini was retained as Public Works Minister by Perón when the latter was elected president in 1946, in which capacity he administered Perón's ambitious public works agenda. He oversaw and helped plan the construction or development of modern barracks, Argentina's first expressways, numerous public vacation resorts, 11,000 schools, water treatment plants, a modern merchant marine, 650,000 housing units and the planting of two million trees, the nation's first
international airport
An international airport is an airport with customs and border control facilities enabling passengers to travel between countries around the world. International airports are usually larger than domestic airports and they must feature longer ...
, among other works.
[ He also marshaled the dormant National Mortgage Bank to extend subsidized loans to new homeowners, often at interest rates well below inflation.
Ill health led to his retirement in June 1952 and following Perón's September 1955 overthrow, he had his property seized, was stripped of rank and imprisoned in Ushuaia. The sub-Antarctic climate in Ushuaia led to a worsening in Pistarini's health, and he was returned to Buenos Aires, where he died at a military hospital in 1956.][''Historical Dictionary of Argentina.'' London: Scarecrow Press, 1978.]
The Ministro Pistarini International Airport
Ministro Pistarini International Airport ( es, link=no, Aeropuerto Internacional Ministro Pistarini) , also known as Ezeiza International Airport owing to its location in the Ezeiza Partido in Greater Buenos Aires, is an international airport s ...
, opened in 1949 in Ezeiza, was named in his honor in 1985.[
]
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pistarini, Juan
1882 births
1956 deaths
People from La Pampa Province
Argentine people of Italian descent
Vice presidents of Argentina
Ministers of agriculture of Argentina
Argentine generals
Argentine anti-communists
20th-century Argentine engineers
Colegio Militar de la Nación alumni
Burials at La Recoleta Cemetery
Ministers of social welfare of Argentina
Argentine civil engineers