Tomás Monje Gutierréz (21 December 1884 – 1 July 1954) was a Bolivian judge, jurist, and politician who served as the 41st

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 1946 to 1947.

Background and earlier career

Born in

Coroico Coroico is a town in Nor Yungas Province, in the La Paz Department of western Bolivia. History Coroico Viejo (Old Coroico) was founded above the river Quri Wayq'u ( Quechua ''quri'' gold, ''wayq'u'' valley, hispanicized spellings ''Coriguayco'' ...

, La Paz Department, he was a noted intellectual and judge. He served as deputy minister of agriculture 1926–27. From 1930 until 1936, he was

Attorney general In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...

President of Bolivia

In his capacity as head of the Bolivian Supreme Court, he was named president by the forces that toppled President

Gualberto Villarroel Gualberto Villarroel López (15 December 1908 – 21 July 1946) was a Bolivians, Bolivian military officer who served as the 39th president of Bolivia from 1943 to 1946. A reformist, sometimes compared with Argentina's Juan Perón, he is non ...

via coup d'état on 21 July 1946. Monje happened to be ill at the time, however, which is why his deputy, Néstor Guillén, filled in for him for 27 days, until Monje was well enough to be sworn in August of the same year. Very much a caretaker president, Monje Gutiérrez was in charge with the simple task of calling elections as soon as possible. This done, he transferred power to the winner of the January 1947 elections, the conservative

Enrique Hertzog José Enrique Hertzog Garaizábal (10 November 1897 – 31 July 1981) was a Bolivian physician and politician who served as the 42nd president of Bolivia from 1947 to 1949. Biography Hertzog was born on 10 November 1897. A medical doctor by ...

Post-Presidency and death

At that point, Monje returned to relative obscurity, dying in

La Paz La Paz, officially Nuestra Señora de La Paz (Aymara language, Aymara: Chuqi Yapu ), is the seat of government of the Bolivia, Plurinational State of Bolivia. With 755,732 residents as of 2024, La Paz is the List of Bolivian cities by populati ...

on 1 July 1954.

Sources

* Mesa José de; Gisbert, Teresa; and Mesa Gisbert, Carlos D., "Historia de Bolivia", 3rd edition. pp. 577–578. 1884 births 1954 deaths Presidents of Bolivia 20th-century Bolivian judges People from Nor Yungas Province 20th-century Bolivian politicians {{Bolivia-politician-stub