Juan Lindolfo de los Reyes Cuestas (6 January 1837 – 21 June 1905) was a Uruguayan politician who served as the 18th

President of Uruguay The president of Uruguay ( es, Presidente del Uruguay), officially known as the president of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay (), is the head of state and head of government of Uruguay. Their rights are determined in the Constitution of Urugua ...

from 1897 until 1899 and for a second term from 1899 to 1903.

Background

Juan Lindolfo Cuestas was a prominent member of the Uruguayan Colorado Party, which dominated the country's politics for over a century. He was

Minister of Finance A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", " ...

from 1875 to 1876 and from 1880 to 1882. He served as Minister of Justice and Education from 1884 to 1886. His son, Juan Cuestas, was a diplomat.

President of Uruguay

First term

Lindolfo Cuestas first assumed the Presidency in crisis circumstances . On August 25, 1897 the sitting

, Juan Idiarte Borda was assassinated by a gunman, Avelino Arredondo. Lindolfo Cuestas as the President of the Senate of Uruguay became president. Within two years Lindolfo Cuestas had ceded the Presidency to

José Batlle y Ordóñez José Pablo Torcuato Batlle y Ordóñez ( or ; 23 May 1856 in Montevideo, Uruguay – 20 October 1929), nicknamed ''Don Pepe'', was a prominent Uruguayan politician, who served two terms as President of Uruguay for the Colorado Party. He wa ...

on an interim basis.

Second term

He soon reassumed the office, however, and served until 1903, when he again stepped down in favour of

Political background

Lindolfo Cuestas's periods of Presidential office were characterized by crises, not only originating from the assassination of Idiarte, but also by internal dissension within the Colorado Party and by strife with the Opposition Blanco Party, which continued to propel the country into outbreaks of the intermittent Civil War which beset

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

throughout the mid- to late- 19th century.

Post presidency

After relinquishing the Presidency for the second time, in 1903, the country soon slipped into civil war, the decisive battle of which was the

Battle of Masoller The Battle of Masoller, which occurred on September 1, 1904, was the final battle of the Aparicio Saravia revolt, resulting in the victory of the Colorado forces. Location and historical background Masoller is a village in northern Uruguay, cl ...

in 1904. Lindolfo Cuestas died in 1905.

References

* :es:Juan Lindolfo Cuestas People from Paysandú Presidents of Uruguay Presidents of the Senate of Uruguay Education and Culture Ministers of Uruguay Uruguayan people of Spanish descent 1837 births 1905 deaths Ministers of Economics and Finance of Uruguay Colorado Party (Uruguay) politicians {{Uruguay-politician-stub