Antonio Rodríguez Ramírez (died February 19, 1939) was a Peruvian military officer and politician who served as Minister of Government and Police (1935-1939) and Second Vice President of the Republic (1936-1939) under General

Óscar R. Benavides Óscar Raymundo Benavides Larrea (March 15, 1876 – July 2, 1945) was a Peruvian field marshal, diplomat, and politician who served as the 38th (1914–1915, by coup d'état) and 42nd (1933–1939) President of Peru, with his latter term being ...

. On 19 February 1939, as the result of a fake seance, Rodríguez Ramírez staged an unsuccessful

coup d'état A coup d'état (; ; ), or simply a coup , is typically an illegal and overt attempt by a military organization or other government elites to unseat an incumbent leadership. A self-coup is said to take place when a leader, having come to powe ...

attempt against Benavides. Rodríguez Ramírez was shot and killed that same day. Antonio Rodriguez Ramirez

Early life

Rodríguez Ramírez was born in

Lima Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...

. His father served in the Peruvian military. Rodríguez Ramírez attended military school, where he was recognised as a top student. When

Luis Miguel Sánchez Cerro Luis Miguel Sánchez Cerro (August 12, 1889 – April 30, 1933) was a high-ranking Peruvian army officer, revolutionary, nationalist and politician who served as the 41st President of Peru, from 1931 to 1933 as well as Interim President of P ...

became President of Peru on December 8, 1931, Rodríguez Ramírez, then an army colonel, was appointed Chief of Staff of the military.

Government career

In March 1932, assassins unsuccessfully attacked Sánchez Cerro in a church in Miraflores. During the attack, Rodríguez Ramírez was shot in the leg, leaving him permanently disabled. This injury gave him the nickname “el lajo Rodríguez”. On April 30, 1933, Rodríguez Ramírez was in Sánchez Cerro's car when he was assassinated. Rodríguez Ramírez was unhurt and may have shot the assassin. When Benavides was appointed president by the Constituent Assembly, Rodríguez Ramírez became his ally. Benavides promoted him to general. In 1935, Rodríguez Ramírez was appointed Minister of Government and Police. At that time, the Apristas, or supporters of

American Popular Revolutionary Alliance The Peruvian Aprista Party (, PAP) () is a Peruvian social-democratic political party and a member of the Socialist International. The party was founded as the American Popular Revolutionary Alliance (, APRA) by Víctor Raúl Haya de la Tor ...

and Communists were harshly persecuted. While serving in the post, Rodríguez Ramírez continued to repress them. When Benavides, with the approval of the Constituent Assembly, restored the vice-presidencies (abolished since 1920), Rodríguez Ramírezwas appointed second vice-president of the Republic, for being the Minister of Government, while Ernesto Montagne Markholz was appointed First Vice President.

Spiritualist plot

At the time, it was rumored that Rodríguez Ramírez was a

Mason Mason may refer to: Occupations * Mason, brick mason, or bricklayer, a worker who lays bricks to assist in brickwork, or who lays any combination of stones, bricks, cinder blocks, or similar pieces * Stone mason, a craftsman in the stone-cutti ...

who also believed in

astrology Astrology is a range of Divination, divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that propose that information about human affairs and terrestrial events may be discerned by studying the apparent positions ...

and

spiritualism Spiritualism may refer to: * Spiritual church movement, a group of Spiritualist churches and denominations historically based in the African-American community * Spiritualism (beliefs), a metaphysical belief that the world is made up of at leas ...

. After learning this, APRA leader

Víctor Raúl Haya de la Torre Víctor Raúl Haya de la Torre (February 22, 1895 – August 2, 1979) was a Peruvian politician, philosopher, and author who founded the American Popular Revolutionary Alliance (APRA) political movement, the oldest currently existing political ...

introduced Manuel Cenzano, a medium, into Rodríguez Ramírez's spiritual session. A secret Aprista, Cenzano worked to influence Rodríguez Ramírez for the benefit of APRA. Cenzano convinced Rodríguez Ramírez that he was invoking the "spirit" of Sánchez Cerro. According to Cenzano, the spirit wanted Rodríguez Ramírez to end the Benavides dictatorship and restore democracy. To carry out this purpose, the spirit said that he needed help from APRA. As a result of this deception, Rodríguez Ramírez met with Haya de la Torre. By April 1938, with a promise of support from Haya de la Torre, Rodríguez Ramírez started planning a coup attempt. He enlisted the support of General Cirilo Ortega, head of the dissident groups of the Revolutionary Union, or the "Sanchecerista party".

1939 coup attempt

On February 19, 1939, Rodríguez Ramírez launched his coup attempt against Benavides. It was a Carnival Sunday in which Benavides was vacationing in

Pisco Pisco is a colorless or yellowish-to-amber-colored spirit produced in winemaking regions of Peru and Chile. Made by distilling fermented grape juice into a high-proof spirit, it was developed by 16th-century Spanish settlers as an alternativ ...

. Rodríguez Ramírez immediately occupied the Government Palace in Lima. Before the troops gathered in the courtyard, he was proclaimed acting head of the Republic. Rodríguez Ramírez immediately declared a

general amnesty Amnesty () is defined as "A pardon extended by the government to a group or class of people, usually for a political offense; the act of a sovereign power officially forgiving certain classes of people who are subject to trial but have not yet be ...

, called for a new Constituent Assembly and free elections. However, later that day, the Assault Battalion of the Civil Guard of Peru, under Major GC Luis Rizo Patron Lembcke, reoccupied the palace. Rodríguez Ramírez was killed by a machine gun, ending the coup attempt.

Aftermath

Rodríguez Ramírez's coup d'état reportedly failed due to a lack of support from other Army unit, important leaders or the general public. Despite their promises, the APRA failed to help him. . Soon after the coup attempt, Benavides called for general elections.

Bibliography

* Basadre Grohmann, Jorge: ''Historia de la República del Perú (1822 - 1933)''. Volumes 15 and 16. Edited by the Empresa Editora El Comercio S. A. Lima, 2005. (V.15) / (V.16) * Chanduvi Torres, Luis: ''El APRA por dentro. Lo que hice, lo que vi y lo que sé. 1931-1957.'' First Edition. May 1988. Lima, Perú. Published in Taller Gráfico “Copias e Impresiones”. * Chirinos Soto, Enrique: ''Historia de la República / 1930 -1985''. Volume II. Desde Sánchez Cerro hasta Alan García. Lima, AFA Editores, 1985. * López Martínez, Héctor: ''La República Contemporánea'' (1933-2010). Volume XII of “Historia del Perú” published by la Empresa Editora El Comercio S.A, 2010. * ''El Mariscal Benavides, su vida y su obra''. Lima, Editorial Atlántida, 2.º volumen. 1976, 1981. {{DEFAULTSORT:Rodriguez Ramirez, Antonio 1890 births 1939 deaths Peruvian generals Deaths by firearm in Peru Revolutionary Union (Peru) politicians Vice presidents of Peru