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, SS ''Bolivian'', later SS ''Alfios'', a British-built standard cargo ship {{disambiguation ...

lawyer and politician who served as the 27th

president of Bolivia The president of Bolivia (), officially known as the president of the Plurinational State of Bolivia (), is head of state and head of government of Bolivia and the captain general of the Armed Forces of Bolivia. According to the Bolivian C ...

from 1909 to 1913 and as the 15th

vice president of Bolivia The vice president of Bolivia (), officially known as the vice president of the Plurinational State of Bolivia (), is the second highest political position in Bolivia. The vice president replaces the president in his definitive absence or others ...

from 1904 to 1909.

Early life

Villazón was born on January 22, 1848, in the town of Sacaba in the department of Cochabamba. He was the son of José Manuel Villazón and Manuela Montaño. His great uncle was General Anastasio Villazón. He graduated as a lawyer from the

University of San Francisco Xavier The Royal and Pontifical Higher University of San Francisco Xavier of Chuquisaca (USFX; ) is a public university in Sucre, Bolivia. It is one of the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, oldest universities in the New World. In many ...

and one of the most distinguished lawmakers in the country. At the age of twenty, during the de facto government of President

Mariano Melgarejo Manuel Mariano Melgarejo Valencia (13 April 1820 – 23 November 1871) was a Bolivian military officer and politician who served as the fifteenth president of Bolivia from December 28, 1864, until his fall on January 15, 1871. He assumed power ...

(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. Commencing his political career at a young age, he emerged as a fervent advoca ...

. He was also a municipal councilor for the city of

Cochabamba Cochabamba (; ) is a city and municipality in central Bolivia in a valley in the Andes mountain range. It is the capital (political), capital of the Cochabamba Department and the list of cities in Bolivia, fourth largest city in Bolivia, with ...

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 to 1872. Early years Morales was born in La Paz. Originally a supporter of Pre ...

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. He was a member of the Liberal Party. The Narciso Campero Province was named afte ...

, 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. For example, while the political systems ...

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. He was a member of the Liberal ...

, 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 (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, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

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. He was one of the four oldest presidents of Bolivia, along with Hugo Ballivián,

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 Lidia Gueiler Tejada (28 August 1921 – 9 May 2011) was a Bolivians, Bolivian politician who served as the 56th president of Bolivia on an interim basis from 1979 to 1980. She was Bolivia's first female Head of State, and the second female hea ...

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 Bolivian journalists 19th-century Bolivian lawyers 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