Luis Altamirano Talavera (July 5, 1867 – July 25, 1938) was a

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 eas ...

an military officer, minister, Vice President of the Republic and finally president of the Government Junta of Chile between 1924 and 1925. He was born in Concepción on the son of Eulogio Altamirano Araceda and Antonia Adelina Talavera Appleby. He studied law and started a career in the ministry of Justice. During the

1891 Chilean Civil War The Chilean Civil War of 1891 (also known as Revolution of 1891) was a civil war in Chile fought between forces supporting Congress and forces supporting the President, José Manuel Balmaceda from 16 January 1891 to 18 September 1891. The wa ...

, he joined the congressional army as an

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during si ...

captain. He was a lieutenant colonel by the end of it, a year later. After the end of revolution he left the army, only to return in 1897. The year after, he was named commander of Regiment Nº3 of

. In 1908 was promoted to full colonel, and named Under-Chief of General staff. In 1911, he was sent as

military attaché A military attaché is a military expert who is attached to a diplomatic mission, often an embassy. This type of attaché post is normally filled by a high-ranking military officer, who retains a commission while serving with an embassy. Opport ...

to the Chilean embassy in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitu ...

. In 1912, was promoted to brigadier general, and named Inspector General of artillery, and Army Chief of staff. In 1919 was promoted to division general, and named commander of the II Division. In 1922, was named army inspector general, the highest position in the army at the time. As such he was in charge of the Chilean delegation to the swearing-in of a new president of

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest ...

. That year he also was named Minister of War and Navy, by President Arturo Alessandri. On September 5, 1924, and as a consequence of the episode known as the '' Ruido de sables'', a group of young military officers, led by Colonel

Marmaduque Grove Marmaduke Grove Vallejo (; July 6, 1878 – May 15, 1954), his name erroneously spelled Marmaduque Grobeh, was a Chilean Air Force officer, political figure and member of the Government Junta of the Socialist Republic of Chile in 1932. Early lif ...

and Major

Carlos Ibáñez del Campo General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo (; 3 November 1877 – 28 April 1960) was a Chilean Army officer and political figure. He served as President twice, first between 1927 and 1931, and then from 1952 to 1958, serving for 10 years in office. ...

, demanded of President Arturo Alessandri the dismissal of three of his ministers, including the minister of War; the enactment of a labor code, the passage of an income tax law, and the improvement of the military salaries. Alessandri had no option but to appoint General Altamirano, then head of the army, as interior minister to head a new cabinet. On September 8, General Altamirano appeared in front of Congress to demand the passage of eight laws, including Alessandri's labor code and the income tax proposal. Congress didn't dare to protest, and the laws were passed in a matter of hours. At that point, Alessandri felt that he had become just a pawn of the military and on September 9, he resigned, and requested asylum at the US Embassy. General Altamirano became vice president (a position reserved, in the absence of a president, to the interior minister, according to the Chilean constitution.) Congress refused to accept Alessandri's resignation, and instead granted him a six-month constitutional leave of absence. Alessandri left the country immediately for Italy. On September 11, General Altamirano established a military Junta to rule the country, together with Vice-Admiral

Francisco Nef Vice Admiral Francisco Nef Jara (August 3, 1863 – June 9, 1931) was a Chilean naval officer and member of the Government Junta that ruled Chile between 1924 and 1925. Nef was born in Valparaiso. At the age of 16, on March 1, 1879, he joined ...

and General Juan Pablo Bennett, retaining the position of president. He assumed dictatorial powers and proceeded to close Congress. During his conservative rule, he tried several measures to control the economic crisis and to reform the local bureaucracy. Nonetheless, he lost the confidence of the "military committee" who had elevated him to power, and was deposed and arrested by another

military coup A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

on January 23, 1925. On February 6, 1925, he retired from active duty and died in

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whos ...

in 1938.

External links

Official biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Altamirano, Luis 1867 births 1938 deaths Chilean Ministers of the Interior Chilean Ministers of Defense Heads of state of Chile Leaders who took power by coup Chilean Army generals