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 National may refer to: 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 Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

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. Juan Pistarini

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 ...

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

, 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