Manuel Domínguez (5 June 1868 – 29 October 1935) was a Paraguayan politician, diplomat and writer. He was
Vice President of Paraguay
A vice is a practice, behaviour, Habit (psychology), habit or item generally considered morally wrong in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character trait, a defect, an infirmity, or a bad or unhe ...
during colonel
Juan Antonio Escurra
Juan Antonio Escurra (May 6, 1859 – August 24, 1929) was the President of Paraguay from 1902 to 1904. He was defeated in the 1904 Revolution.
Beginnings
He was born on May 6, 1859, in Caraguatay, Cordillera department. He went to school in h ...
's government (1902–1904), but fought against his forces during the civil war in 1904. He would thus be one of the few colorados to be politically relevant during the rival
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 ...
's hegemony of power which ensued after said conflict, even being Minister of Justice, Religion and Public Education during
Albino Jara
Colonel Albino Jara Benegas (28 February 1877 – 15 May 1912) was provisional President of Paraguay from 19 January 1911 to 5 July 1911. A military official, he was a member of the Liberal Party. He came to power in the 1911 military coup wherei ...
's troubled presidency, which immediately preceded the 1911 civil war.
Biography
Early life and career
Manuel Domínguez was born on June 5th 1868, in Pilar, a town on the shore of the
Paraguay River
The Paraguay River (''Ysyry Paraguái'' in Guarani language, Guarani, ''Rio Paraguai'' in Portuguese language, Portuguese, ''Río Paraguay'' in Spanish language, Spanish) is a major river in south-central South America, running through Brazil, Bol ...
. His father, Matias Goiburú, was an officer in the
Paraguayan Army
The Paraguayan Army () is the ground force branch of the Armed Forces of Paraguay. It is organized into three corps and nine divisions, and several commands and direction. It has gone to war on many occasions, notably in the War of the Triple A ...
, and when Manuel was born the
Siege of Humaitá
The siege of Humaitá was a military operation in which the Triple Alliance (Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay) flanked, besieged and captured the Fortress of Humaitá, a Paraguayan stronghold that was referred to as the Gibraltar of South Ameri ...
, perhaps the most important battle of the
Paraguayan War
The Paraguayan War (, , ), also known as the War of the Triple Alliance (, , ), was a South American war that lasted from 1864 to 1870. It was fought between Paraguay and the Triple Alliance of Argentina, the Empire of Brazil, and Uruguay. It wa ...
, raged on nearby. As a youth, he received a grant to study in the prestigious
Colegio Nacional de la Capital
Colegio Nacional de la Capital "Gral. Bernardino Caballero" (or simply CNC) is a public high school in Asuncion, Paraguay. The school is one of the most prestigious in Paraguay. Many personalities have studied there.
History
The CNC was establi ...
in
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. As a teenage student, he started working for a newspaper, ''La Democracia''.
Later on, he would study law while maintaining his duties as a journalist; even after he finished his studies and became a professor, he still was an active contributor to the press. He had a large career in education - he was director of the Colegio Nacional, taught constitutional law in the
Universidad Nacional de Asunción
The Universidad Nacional de Asunción or Mbo'ehaovusu Tetãgua Paraguaygua, abbreviated UNA, anglicized as, The National University of Asuncion, is a public university founded in San Lorenzo, Paraguay. Founded in 1889, it is the oldest and most ...
's law school and was said University's dean between July 1901 and January 1902. At some point in his life, he was also director for the National Archives in Asunción. Regarding his periodistic career, he would write for ''El Progreso'' in the 1890s, a pro-
Juan Bautista Egusquiza
Juan Bautista Egusquiza Isasi (25 August 1845 – 24 August 1902) was a Paraguayan military officer and politician who served as the 13th president of Paraguay
The president of Paraguay (), officially known as the president of the Republi ...
paper, and from 1900 onwards at ''La Prensa'' and several magazines, something which he did until his death in 1935. As a lawyer, he defended
José Segundo Decoud
José Segundo Decoud Domecq (14 May 1848 – 3 March 1909) was a Paraguayan politician, journalist, diplomat and military officer. He is often considered one of the foremost intellectuals of his generation, and was also one of the first liberal ...
in a trial regarding a letter Decoud purportedly would have sent to Argentinian authorities asking for Paraguay's annexation to that country in the aftermath of the Triple Alliance War; the quality of Domínguez's defense is a subject of controversy.
vice president
A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...
in late 1902, as
Juan Antonio Escurra
Juan Antonio Escurra (May 6, 1859 – August 24, 1929) was the President of Paraguay from 1902 to 1904. He was defeated in the 1904 Revolution.
Beginnings
He was born on May 6, 1859, in Caraguatay, Cordillera department. He went to school in h ...
's running mate. Between January and November of 1902 he was also
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and foreign relations, relations, diplomacy, bilateralism, ...
; his contributions to Paraguayan foreign policy and relations are some of his most significant to the country's history. Besides opening several permanent diplomatic stations in foreign countries during his term as minister, later on (up to the 1911 Civil War) he was Paraguay's main negotiator with Bolivia regarding the Chaco border issue, and also did archival work, looking for documents to support Paraguay's stance on this matter. For this role, he earned the moniker "lawyer for the nation".
During his vice presidency, he abandoned president Escurra's government in 1904 in favor of a
rebellion
Rebellion is an uprising that resists and is organized against one's government. A rebel is a person who engages in a rebellion. A rebel group is a consciously coordinated group that seeks to gain political control over an entire state or a ...
led by the rival
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 ...
. In a manifesto, he attributed this to Escurra's policy errors and the deviation from the government plan written before their election by Domínguez himself. He closed said manifesto in the following manner:
In 1911, during
Albino Jara
Colonel Albino Jara Benegas (28 February 1877 – 15 May 1912) was provisional President of Paraguay from 19 January 1911 to 5 July 1911. A military official, he was a member of the Liberal Party. He came to power in the 1911 military coup wherei ...
's government, he was Justice, Religion and Public Education Minister between January and early July, and Interior Minister between June and July. He reformed the Universidad Nacional and created a system of grants for interchange studies for its students. When Jara's government fell, as the 1911 civil war started, Domínguez was ousted from the aforementioned offices.
Cultural life
Domínguez was a prominent writer and orator, with works in fiction, history and law. H. G. Warren called him the "foremost literary figure of the Colorado Era". His book "El Alma de la Raza" he Race's Soulcontains an essay on the martial history of the Paraguayan people titled "Causas del Heroísmo Paraguayo" easons for Paraguayan Heroism which goes as far as
Aleixo Garcia
Aleixo Garcia, also known in Spanish as Alejo García, (died 1525) was a Portuguese explorer and conquistador in service to Spain. He was a castaway who lived in Brazil and explored Paraguay and Bolivia. On a raiding expedition with a Guaraní ...
's invasion of the
Inca Empire
The Inca Empire, officially known as the Realm of the Four Parts (, ), was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The administrative, political, and military center of the empire was in the city of Cusco. The History of the Incas, Inca ...
together with a
Guaraní Guarani, Guaraní or Guarany may refer to
Ethnography
* Guaraní people, an indigenous people from South America's interior (Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Bolivia)
* Guarani language, or Paraguayan Guarani, an official language of Paraguay
* G ...
army in the 16th century. He spent much of his time in the capital's archives, looking for evidence both for his own scholarly pursuits and to bulk up Paraguay's claim to the Chaco.
He was a permanent member of the prestigious ''Instituto Paraguayo'', the country's then-foremost intellectual association. In it, he sustained a debate between the late 1900s and early 1910s with the Spanish anarchist Rafael Barrett over the living conditions of the Paraguayan peasantry.
Later life and death
He first married Manuela González Filisbert, and then later Carmen Urbieta Peña.
He died in Asunción in 29 October 1935, a few months after the victorious conclusion of the
Luque
Luque () is a city in Central Department of Paraguay, part of the Gran Asunción metropolitan area. Both 1635 and 1750 have been recorded as dates of its founding. It was temporarily the capital of Paraguay in 1868 during the Paraguayan War ...