Eliodoro Villazón Montaño (22 January 1848 – 12 September 1939) 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 ...

lawyer and politician who served as the 27th

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 1909 to 1913 and as the 15th

vice president of Bolivia The vice president of Bolivia ( es, Vicepresidente de Bolivia), officially known as the vice president of the Plurinational State of Bolivia ( es, Vicepresidente del Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia), is the second highest political position in B ...

from 1904 to 1909.

Early life

Villazón was born on January 22, 1848, in the town of

Sacaba Sacaba, Sakawa is a capital city and a municipality in the Bolivian province of Chapare. The city, located 13 kilometers eastward from Cochabamba, is the second largest city in the Cochabamba Department after Cochabamba city. Post-colonial archit ...

in the department of Cochabamba. He was the son of José Manuel Villazón and Manuela Montaño. He graduated as a lawyer from the

University of San Francisco Xavier The Royal and Pontifical Higher University of San Francisco Xavier of Chuquisaca ( es, Universidad Mayor, Real y Pontificia de San Francisco Xavier de Chuquisaca; USFX) is a public university in Sucre, Bolivia. It is one of the oldest universitie ...

and one of the most distinguished lawmakers in the country. At the age of twenty, during the de facto government of President Mariano Melgarejo (1864-1871), Villazón founded the newspaper ''El Ferroviario''. Villazon married Enriqueta Torrico.

Political career

He began his political career at a very young age, joining the ''Partido Rojo'', a party founded by former president

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 ...

. He was also a municipal councilor for the city of

Cochabamba Cochabamba ( ay, Quchapampa; qu, Quchapampa) is a city and municipality in central Bolivia in a valley in the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cochabamba Department and the fourth largest city in Bolivia, with a population of 630 ...

and Deputy for the department of Cochabamba on several occasions. At the age of twenty-three, Villazón attended the National Assembly of 1871 which had been called by the government of newly installed 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 ...

after the overthrow of Melgarejo. Furthermore, he attended the Conventions of 1880 and 1889 as a delegate. He was Minister of Finance and Industry during the government of President

Narciso Campero Narciso Campero Leyes (29 October 1813 – 12 August 1896) was a Bolivian general and politician who served as the 20th president of Bolivia from 1880 to 1884. The Narciso Campero Province was named after him. Early life and family The ...

, in which he also represented Bolivia as its financial agent in Europe. Specialized in finance, Villazón made a considerable fortune by managing the fortunes of several magnates of his time, including that of Francisco Argandoña and Gregorio Pacheco. Because of his affluence and political power, he was one of the main founders of the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

of Bolivia and supported his party during the Bolivian Civil War of 1898-1899. He was Minister of Foreign Relations during the government of liberal President José Manuel Pando, and he devoted himself to resolving border conflicts with Bolivia's neighboring countries. During the presidency of

Ismael Montes Ismael Montes Gamboa (5 October 1861 – 16 October 1933) was a Bolivian general and political figure who served as the 26th president of Bolivia twice nonconsecutively from 1904 to 1909 and from 1913 to 1917. During his first term, the Tr ...

, Villazón became Vice President of Bolivia at the age of 56, serving from 1904 to 1909. He also worked as a defense attorney in the Bolivian-Peruvian border dispute over the Manuripi.

President of Bolivia

Villazón ran as the Liberal Party's candidate for the presidency during the 1909 general elections. He triumphed by a wide margin that year, succeeding Ismael Montes as president. He was installed as president of Bolivia at sixty-one years of age, on August 12, 1909, along with his 2 vice presidents: Macario Pinilla Vargas (first vice-presidency) and

Juan Misael Saracho Juan Misael Saracho Campero (27 January 1857 – 1 October 1915) was a Bolivian lawyer, journalist and politician who served as the 18th vice president of Bolivia from 1909 to 1915. He first served as second vice president alongside first vice ...

(second vice-presidency). His government was one of the most prosperous in the republican history of Bolivia, since it enjoyed a budget surplus and a context of tranquility, despite the mining crisis of 1908. He created the Higher Institute of Commerce of La Paz, hoping to further the economic stability the country was enjoying. He also founded the Oruro School of Mines, today the National Faculty of Engineering, and built railway from Cochabamba to Arani, inaugurated in 1913. Villazón signed a Border Rectification Treaty with Peru, known as the Polo-Sánchez Bustamante Treaty. It was signed in the city of La Paz on September 17, 1909, by the Minister Plenipotentiary of Peru, Solón Polo, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bolivia, Daniel Sánchez Bustamante. This treaty put an end to the Peruvian-Bolivian border dispute, and prevented an alliance between Bolivia and Chile against Peru. It also fixed some pending boundary issues with Argentina. At the end of his term, he handed over the command of his party to his eventual successor, Ismael Montes, who won the general elections of 1913 and was inaugurated as president on August 14. Villazón then traveled to

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 ...

to work as Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Bolivia in Argentina.

Later life and death

Twenty-six years after having left the presidency, Eliodoro Villazón died on September 12, 1939, in the city of

at the age of ninety-one. It is also worth mentioning that Villazón became one of the four oldest presidents of Bolivia, along with

Hugo Ballivián Hugo Ballivián Rojas (7 June 1901 – 15 July 1993) was a Bolivian politician and military officer who served as the ''de facto'' 44th president of Bolivia from 1951 to 1952. A career military officer, he was Commander of the Bolivian Armed ...

Víctor Paz Estenssoro Ángel Víctor Paz Estenssoro (2 October 1907 – 7 June 2001) was a Bolivian politician who served as the 45th president of Bolivia for three nonconsecutive and four total terms from 1952 to 1956, 1960 to 1964 and 1985 to 1989. He ran for pr ...

and Lidia Gueiler.

References

* Mesa José de; Gisbert, Teresa; and Carlos D. Mesa, "Historia De Bolivia", 3rd edition. pp. 505–509. {{DEFAULTSORT:Villazon, Eliodoro 1848 births 1939 deaths 20th-century Bolivian politicians Ambassadors of Bolivia to Argentina Bolivian diplomats Bolivian journalists 19th-century Bolivian lawyers Bolivian people of Spanish descent Candidates in the 1909 Bolivian presidential election Foreign ministers of Bolivia Government ministers of Bolivia Liberal Party (Bolivia) politicians Members of the Chamber of Deputies (Bolivia) Members of the Senate of Bolivia Finance ministers of Bolivia Interior ministers of Bolivia People from Chapare Province Presidents of Bolivia Presidents of the Senate of Bolivia Vice presidents of Bolivia