Jaime Gerardo Roberto Marcelino María Ortiz Lizardi (24 September 1886 – 15 July 1942) was the 19th

President of Argentina The president of Argentina ( es, Presidente de Argentina), officially known as the president of the Argentine Nation ( es, Presidente de la Nación Argentina), is both head of state and head of government of Argentina. Under the national cons ...

from 20 February 1938 to 27 June 1942. Ortiz is a little remembered president. He became president in 1938 following a

presidential election A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The p ...

that has been described as being among the most fraudulent in

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, ...

history. His main management objective was to end

fraud In law, fraud is intentional deception to secure unfair or unlawful gain, or to deprive a victim of a legal right. Fraud can violate civil law (e.g., a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrator to avoid the fraud or recover monetary compen ...

. The attempt to normalize the institutions confronted him with his vice president,

Ramón Castillo Ramón Antonio Castillo Barrionuevo (November 20, 1873 – October 12, 1944) was a conservative Argentine politician who served as President of Argentina from June 27, 1942 to June 4, 1943. He was a leading figure in the period known as ...

, leader of the

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

sectors of the government coalition. The president and vice president belonged to different political groupings. Ortiz was a

radical Radical may refer to: Politics and ideology Politics * Radical politics, the political intent of fundamental societal change *Radicalism (historical), the Radical Movement that began in late 18th century Britain and spread to continental Europe an ...

antipersonnel and Castillo, a

in the National Democratic Party. Both were part of the formula of Concordancia, a coalition that had ruled since 1932.

Life

Ortiz was born in

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 ...

on 24 September 1886. As a student at the

University of Buenos Aires The University of Buenos Aires ( es, Universidad de Buenos Aires, UBA) is a public research university in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Established in 1821, it is the premier institution of higher learning in the country and one of the most presti ...

, he participated in the unsuccessful Argentine Revolution of 1905. In 1909 he graduated from the university and became a lawyer. He became active in the

Radical Civic Union The Radical Civic Union ( es, Unión Cívica Radical, UCR) is a centrist and social-liberal political party in Argentina. It has been ideologically heterogeneous, ranging from social liberalism to social democracy. The UCR is a member of the S ...

and was elected to the

Argentine National Congress The Congress of the Argentine Nation ( es, Congreso de la Nación Argentina) is the legislative branch of the government of Argentina. Its composition is bicameral, constituted by a 72-seat Senate and a 257-seat Chamber of Deputies. The Senate, ...

in 1920. He served as Minister of Public Works from 1925 to 1928. He supported the

Revolution of 1930 The Revolution of 1930 () was an armed insurrection across Brazil that ended the Old Republic. The revolution replaced incumbent President Washington Luís with defeated presidential candidate and revolutionary leader Getúlio Vargas, conclud ...

and served as Minister of the Treasury from 1936 to 1937.

Presidency

In the presidential elections of 1937, he was the official government candidate and won, though the opposition accused him of participating in fraud, as irregularities were widespread. Ortiz never denied these charges, but once he took office, he tried to make Argentine politics more open and democratic. Soon after becoming president, Ortiz became seriously ill with

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...

and on 3 July 1940, he delegated his powers to Vice President

. He favored the

Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, but because of opposition within the army, he did not break relations with the

Axis powers The Axis powers, ; it, Potenze dell'Asse ; ja, 枢軸国 ''Sūjikukoku'', group=nb originally called the Rome–Berlin Axis, was a military coalition that initiated World War II and fought against the Allies. Its principal members were ...

. He resigned from the presidency on 24 July 1942, three weeks before dying of bronchial pneumonia at age 55.

Honours

Order of Isabella the Catholic - Sash of Collar

Order of Isabella the Catholic The Order of Isabella the Catholic ( es, Orden de Isabel la Católica) is a Spanish civil order and honor granted to persons and institutions in recognition of extraordinary services to the homeland or the promotion of international relations a ...

FIN Order of the White Rose Grand Cross BAR

Order of the White Rose of Finland The Order of the White Rose of Finland ( fi, Suomen Valkoisen Ruusun ritarikunta; sv, Finlands Vita Ros’ orden) is one of three official orders in Finland, along with the Order of the Cross of Liberty, and the Order of the Lion of Finland. ...

References

External links

* Presidents of Argentina People of the Infamous Decade 1886 births 1942 deaths Argentine Ministers of Finance Members of the Argentine Chamber of Deputies elected in Buenos Aires National Democratic Party (Argentina) politicians Radical Civic Union politicians 20th-century Argentine lawyers Lawyers from Buenos Aires University of Buenos Aires alumni Deaths from diabetes 20th-century Argentine politicians Ministers of social welfare of Argentina Order of the White Rose of Finland Collars of the Order of Isabella the Catholic {{Argentina-politician-stub

Life

Presidency

Honours

See also

References

External links