Adolfo Ballivián
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Adolfo Ballivián Coll (15 November 1831 – 14 February 1874) was a
Bolivian Bolivian may refer to: * Something of, or related to Bolivia ** Bolivian people ** Demographics of Bolivia ** Culture of Bolivia * SS ''Bolivian'', a British-built standard cargo ship A cargo ship or freighter is a merchant ship that carries ...
military officer and politician who served as the 18th
President of Bolivia The president of Bolivia ( es, Presidente de Bolivia), officially known as the president of the Plurinational State of Bolivia ( es, Presidente del Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia), is head of state and head of government of Bolivia and the ca ...
from 1873 to 1874. His presidency was brief, yet serious financial and legislative problems, worsened or neglected by previous administrations, began to appear. These would have serious effects for Bolivia, leading up to the
War of the Pacific The War of the Pacific ( es, link=no, Guerra del Pacífico), also known as the Saltpeter War ( es, link=no, Guerra del salitre) and by multiple other names, was a war between Chile and a Bolivian–Peruvian alliance from 1879 to 1884. Fought ...
.


Early life


Youth and first exile

Adolfo Ballivián was born on November 15, 1831 in the city of
La Paz La Paz (), officially known as Nuestra Señora de La Paz (Spanish pronunciation: ), is the seat of government of the Bolivia, Plurinational State of Bolivia. With an estimated 816,044 residents as of 2020, La Paz is the List of Bolivian cities ...
, Bolivia. He was the son of former
Bolivian President The president of Bolivia ( es, Presidente de Bolivia), officially known as the president of the Plurinational State of Bolivia ( es, Presidente del Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia), is head of state and head of government of Bolivia and the c ...
and war hero
José Ballivián José Ballivián Segurola (5 May 1805 – 6 October 1852) was a Bolivian general during the Peruvian-Bolivian War. He also served as the ninth president of Bolivia from 1841 to 1847. Early life Born in La Paz to wealthy parents, Ballivián ha ...
. Highly educated, he had the opportunity to travel to many places. He was a member of the armed forces, orator, composer of classical music, writer, and deputy. From a very young age he accompanied his father in the War of the Confederation and also participated in the
Battle of Ingavi The Battle of Ingavi occurred on November 18, 1841, during the Peruvian-Bolivian War of 1841-1842, in the town of Ingavi, Bolivia. The Bolivian Army, commanded by Jose Ballivian, there met an invading Peruvian Army commanded by Agustín Gamarra ...
. During his first trips, living in exile with his father, he met Carmen Grimwood Allende de Quillota in
Valparaíso Valparaíso (; ) is a major city, seaport, naval base, and educational centre in the commune of Valparaíso, Chile. "Greater Valparaíso" is the second largest metropolitan area in the country. Valparaíso is located about northwest of Santiago ...
,
Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
, whom he married.


Early political career and second exile

Following his father's unexpected death in Brazil in 1855, he returned to Bolivia, rejoined the army and rose to the rank of
lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...
. He ran for Congress and also became a part-time journalist, serving as aide-de-camp to
José María Linares José María Linares Lizarazu (10 July 1808 – 23 October 1861) was a Bolivian lawyer and politician who served as the 13th president of Bolivia from 1857 to 1861. Early life and education He was born in Tical, Potosí, in his family's hacie ...
. Between 1862 and 1864 he participated as a representative in the National Assembly, and was exiled from the country after the triumph of
Mariano Melgarejo Manuel Mariano Melgarejo Valencia (13 April 1820 – 23 November 1871) was a Bolivian military officer and politician, fifteenth president of the Republic of Bolivia from December 28, 1864, until his fall on January 15, 1871. He assumed pow ...
over
José María de Achá José María de Achá Valiente (8 July 1810 – 29 January 1868) was a Bolivian general who served as the 14th president of Bolivia from 1861 to 1864. He served in the battles of the Peru-Bolivian Confederation and conspired against longtime ...
. He was to spend seven years in exile and only returned to Bolivia after the death of President
Agustín Morales Pedro Agustín Morales Hernández (11 March 1808 – 27 November 1872) was a Bolivian military officer who served as the 16th president of Bolivia from 1871 and 1872. Early years Morales was born in La Paz. Originally a supporter of Pr ...
.


Return to Bolivia


Third exile and the death of Morales

He returned to Europe when relations between President Morales and Congress and civil society deteriorated in 1872. However, Morales was weary of Ballivián's presence in the country and sent him away on a diplomatic mission to Europe in May of that year. He was still in Europe when his name was invoked by congressional forces and constitutionalists to participate as a candidate in the 1873 elections, which had been quickly called after the unexpected assassination of President Morales.
Tomás Frías Tomás Frías Ametller (21 December 1805 – 10 May 1884) was a Bolivian lawyer and politician who served as the 17th President of Bolivia twice nonconsecutively from 1872 to 1873 and from 1874 to 1876. Having graduated as a lawyer and work ...
, who had assumed the presidency by virtue of his position as the President of the Council of State, refused to finish the constitutional term and called elections.


The General Elections of 1873

During the General Elections of 1873, Adolfo Ballivián, Casimiro Corral and
Quintín Quevedo Quintín Quevedo Ferrari (31 October 1825 – 24 August 1876) was a Bolivian military officer who rose to prominence after aiding Mariano Melgarejo in the overthrow of President José María de Achá in 1864. He was also a famous and early exp ...
were the most prominent candidates. While the first two candidates represented their own constitutional faction, Quevedo represented the old ''melgarejista'' interests. This faction hoped to retake the lands which had been repatriated to its previous owners, seized by the government of Melgarejo and bestowed to his loyal allies. The top three candidates of the elections were Ballivián, Corral, and Quevedo, receiving 6,442, 5,352, and 3,313 votes respectively. There was a total of 16,674 votes, and none of the candidates achieved the majority necessary according to the Constitution, meaning that the National Assembly was now tasked to choose among the three candidates with the most votes. The first round concluded in 31 votes for Ballivián, 20 for Corral, and 6 for Quevedo. The second round, contested between Ballivián and Corral ended with the former obtaining 41 votes and the latter 19. Thus, Ballivián defeated both Corral and Quevedo and was proclaimed President of Bolivia. Both Corral and Quevedo, as they had promised prior to their respective candidatures, accepted and acknowledged the victor of the elections as the legitimate successor to the Presidency. He was elected president in what were possibly the cleanest elections up to that point in Bolivian history. Interestingly, Ballivián had been elected while he was still in Europe, only returning to Bolivia on April 21, 1873. By this time, the electoral question had been answered and Frías was ready to hand over the executive power to him.


President of Bolivia

Ballivián enjoyed a short "honeymoon" period and then faced the usual obstructionist opposition from politicians that was typical of those times. It also didn't help that his short presidential term coincided with a global drop in silver prices, which was Bolivia's most important export product at the time, along with tin. It was in this context that Congress denied Ballivián his urgent request to buy two new warships from Europe to equip the precarious, practically non-existent Bolivian Navy. This was a major concern due to challenges to Bolivian sovereignty over its
Litoral The littoral zone or nearshore is the part of a sea, lake, or river that is close to the shore. In coastal ecology, the littoral zone includes the intertidal zone extending from the high water mark (which is rarely inundated), to coastal areas ...
emanating from Chile. This congressional rejection would be much lamented later by Bolivians when the
War of the Pacific The War of the Pacific ( es, link=no, Guerra del Pacífico), also known as the Saltpeter War ( es, link=no, Guerra del salitre) and by multiple other names, was a war between Chile and a Bolivian–Peruvian alliance from 1879 to 1884. Fought ...
finally erupted in 1879. The fiscal and financial troubles of the country bothered him greatly; however, with his weakening health, he was forced to give Frías the executive power on January 31, 1874.


Sudden death

By February of 1874, it was discovered that President Ballivián suffered from stomach cancer just months after coming to power, and died on February 14, 1874. An account of his death is described as follows:
At eight o'clock, in the morning of February 14, a friend begged the family doctor to specify the prognosis. As agreed, to satisfy the patient's religious dispositions, the doctor replied: "I request a private meeting of colleagues, summon them"... The bishop-elect of La Paz was informed about the President's condition, as indicated by the doctor; being certain that he or the prelate would come at the appointed time. At eleven o'clock, the doctor, and a friend took Ballivián into their arms. They shook his head and asked him: "What do you want, sir?" Ballivián answered: "To die".
Soon thereafter, Ballivián died, held by his doctor and one of his dear friends. He was replaced by the President of the Council of State, the same Tomás Frías who had transferred the presidency to him only nine months prior, and had already been exercising the executive power since January 31.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ballivian Coll, Adolfo Presidents of Bolivia 1831 births 1874 deaths 19th-century Bolivian politicians Bolivian expatriates in Chile Bolivian expatriates in Brazil Bolivian military personnel Candidates in the 1873 Bolivian presidential election Children of presidents Deaths from cancer in Bolivia Deaths from stomach cancer People from La Paz Bolivian exiles