Juan Natalicio González Paredes (8 September 1897 – 6 December 1966) was a
Paraguay
Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...
an politician and poet who served as
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film and television
*'' Præsident ...
of
Paraguay
Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...
from 15 August 1948 to 30 January 1949.
Early life
Natalicio González was born in
Villarrica in the department of
Guairá. Having lost his parents, he moved to
Asunción
Asunción (, ) is the capital and the largest city of Paraguay. The city stands on the eastern bank of the Paraguay River, almost at the confluence of this river with the Pilcomayo River. The Paraguay River and the Bay of Asunción in the north ...
, Paraguay's capital, in 1912 to finish his high school studies. He graduated in 1915 from the Colegio Nacional de Asunción (Asunción's National College), and planned to study medicine in the Universidad Nacional de Asunción (Asunción's National University). However, that same year the government shut down the UNA's medical school. Meanwhile, Natalicio started developing a career as journalist and writer, and became affiliated with the
Colorado Party.
[ He had no further formal education, but he achieved an outstanding intellectual level through a very disciplined self-education.
In 1928 he married Lydia Frutos, a well-known Paraguayan socialite. Lydia was famous for her beauty and also for her high intellectual level, having graduated from educational institutions abroad.
]
Politician and writer
Natalicio was associated with some of the intellectuals of the Colorado Party. His links with people like Juan O'Leary, Fulgencio Moreno and Antolín Irala—among others—made possible for him to achieve prominence in the party's organization and propaganda machinery. Very soon he became the main writer for some newspapers linked to the Colorado Party, like ''Patria'', ''Colorado'', and ''El País''. During this time he published some books of poetry
Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...
, political commentary, and historical essays.
In 1920 he moved 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 ...
, Argentina
Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
, where he worked for a major publishing company. His duties allowed him to travel all over South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...
and meet politicians, writers, and intellectuals from different South American countries.
In 1923 he moved to Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
, to work with a Paraguayan publishing company. He spent two years in Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
, returning to Paraguay at the end of 1924.
After he returned to Asunción, he became more active in the Colorado Party. He reached higher positions in the Party's organization and, by 1926, he was one of the leading party members who negotiatiated for a new electoral law with the ruling Liberals.
Unfortunately for the Colorados, the negotiations with the Liberal government became a source of division within the Colorado Party. The ''abstencionistas'' were reluctant to negotiate anything with the government; they supported abstention from voting to channel popular discontent against the government and bring about a non-violent revolution. The ''eleccionistas'' responded positively to the government's calls for a political ceasefire. Natalicio was one of the main and most dynamic leader of the ''eleccionistas''.
Finally, by 1927, the new electoral law passed and was applied for the first time in the legislative elections held in the beginning of that year. The ''eleccionista'' Colorado Party won some seats in the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, forming a minority bloc. The Colorado senators were mostly former ministers and intellectual leaders during past Colorado governments, while the Deputies included new younger figures, mostly teachers and journalists, who were developing new political idea. Natalicio was the leader of this group, and acted as minority leader during his tenure as national deputy, which had begun in 1926.[
However, by 1929, Natalicio was not satisfied with the way Paraguayan politics were going. He did not expect the Colorados to get anything at all from participating in electoral politics and the legislature while the Liberals were in power.
In 1929 Natalicio asked the Chamber of Deputies for permission to leave his post and travel to Europe with his wife. He would return to Paraguay only in 1945, and in the same year would be Paraguayan ambassador to Uruguay.][
He was ]Minister of Finance of Paraguay
Minister of Finance is the person in charge of the Ministry of Finance of Paraguay.
Ministers
* José de Elizalde, 1811-1814
* Francisco Díaz de Bedoya, 1814-1819
* José Gabriel Benítez, 1819-1827
* Juan Manuel Álvarez, 1827-1844
* Benito Va ...
from 1946 to 1948.
Presidency
The civil war of 1947 saw the Colorado Party and President Higinio Morínigo fight a rebellion by members 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 ...
, Revolutionary Febrerista Party and Communist Party. Significant portions of the army rebelled against the government, but Morínigo was able to maintain power with the help of the Guión Rojo, a paramilitary force of the Colorado Party that Natalicio had himself created in the early 40s and which proved crucial in helping the party maintain control of the state during this period.[Richard B. Baldauf and Robert B. Kaplan, ''Language Planning and Policy in Latin America,'' p. 249 (Multilingual Matters, 2007)]
Natalicio was elected President on 14 February 1948; he was nominated by the Colorados, and was the only candidate. Incumbent President Higinio Morínigo, who had been a ''de facto'' dictator, threatened a '' coup d´état'' to retain power. and was himself deposed by a ''coup'' on 3 June. Juan Manuel Frutos became interim president until Natalicio took office on 15 August.
One of the most important acts of his administration was the nationalization of the American Light and Traction Company (CALT), which later became the Ande. One of his famous phrases was: "There will be no red poor"; this led him to give important and politically powerful positions to
representatives of all sections of the Colorado Party.
From the start of his term, there were rumors that he would not finish his term of office. On 26 October 1948 dissident Colorados attempted a ''coup d'état'' against him. The rebellion was blocked by loyalist forces, but Natalicio could not hold out for long. On 29 January 1949 another ''coup'' broke out, initiated by Felipe Molas López, Federico Chaves, and defense minister General Raimundo Rolón, who controlled the military forces. Natalicio resigned in the early morning of 30 January, and General Rolón took power.
Natalicio González was again driven into exile.[ On 7 February 1949 he went to Buenos Aires. In 1950 he went to ]Mexico
Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
. He was the last intellectual to hold the presidency of the Republic in the twentieth century.
Death
Natalicio died in Mexico on 6 December 1966, of a heart attack. He had been invited back to Paraguay and was to leave that very day. His wife Lydia committed suicide after finding his body.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gonzalez, Juan Natalicio
1897 births
1966 deaths
People from Villarrica, Paraguay
Paraguayan people of Spanish descent
Paraguayan writers
Paraguayan historians
Paraguayan geographers
Paraguayan sociologists
Colorado Party (Paraguay) politicians
20th-century presidents of Paraguay
Ministers of finance of Paraguay
Paraguayan expatriates in Mexico
Paraguayan expatriates in Argentina
20th-century historians
20th-century geographers