Juan Idiarte Borda

Juan Bautista Idiarte Borda y Soumastre


17th President of Uruguay
In office March 21, 1894 – August 25, 1897
Preceded by	Duncan Stewart
Succeeded by	Juan Lindolfo Cuestas

Personal details
Born	April 20, 1844
Died	August 25, 1897 (aged 53)
Nationality	Uruguayan
Political party	Colorado Party
Spouse	Matilde Baños
Children	Celia,María Esther

Juan Bautista Idiarte Borda y Soumastre (April 20, 1844 – August 25, 1897) was the 17th President of Uruguay. He is the only Uruguayan president to be assassinated in office.

Background

Originating from the Uruguayan department of Soriano, which he was to represent in Uruguay's chamber of deputies, Idiarte was a member of the Colorado Party, which dominated the country's politics for many years.

President of Uruguay

On March 21, 1894 Duncan Stewart, interim President of Uruguay stepped down, and Idiarte replaced him in that office.

Strife on various fronts

Idiarte's presidency was beset by a number of severe difficulties which found their origins in a host of commercial, ideological and personality issues, in the background of Uruguay's intermittent Civil War. In addition, the nature of the ruling Colorado Party of the period was seen as particularly fractious.

Public works

Idiarte's term of office, however, was also characterized by a program of public works. This included the development of the Port of Montevideo and the establishment of a national Bank.

Assassination

On August 25, 1897,^[1] Idiarte was assassinated by Avelino Arredondo with a revolver,^[2] who had been erroneously identified several months earlier (in El Día, edited by José Batlle y Ordóñez) as a would-be assassin during a previous incident. While Idiarte's family warned him of an assassination plot on the part of his party enemies, and although the assassin was a known strong supporter of Batlle, the latter successfully maintained a plausible deniability in connection with the crime, the only instance to date of a presidential assassination in the history of Uruguay.

Subsequently, the reputation of Idiarte was greatly overshadowed by that of José Batlle y Ordóñez, who later became a long-serving President.

References

^ Henderson, James D.; Delpar, Helen; Brungardt, Maurice Philip, eds. (2000). A Reference Guide to Latin American History. M.E. Sharpe. p. 167. ISBN 9781563247446.
^ "The President of Uruguay Assassinated By a Youth". The Sydney Morning Herald. August 27, 1897. p. 5.

Political offices
Preceded by Duncan Stewart	President of Uruguay 1894–1897	Succeeded by Juan Lindolfo Cuestas

Heads of state and government of Uruguay

Heads of state

Governors (1828-1830)	Joaquín Suárez José Rondeau Juan Antonio Lavalleja
Presidents (1830–1955)	Fructuoso Rivera Carlos Anaya Manuel Oribe Fructuoso Rivera Joaquín Suárez Juan Francisco Giró Venancio Flores Gabriel Antonio Pereira Bernardo Berro Lorenzo Batlle y Grau José Eugenio Ellauri Pedro Varela Lorenzo Latorre Francisco Antonino Vidal Alberto Flangini Máximo Santos Francisco Antonino Vidal Máximo Santos Máximo Tajes Julio Herrera y Obes Duncan Stewart Juan Idiarte Borda Juan Lindolfo Cuestas José Batlle y Ordóñez Feliciano Viera Baltasar Brum José Serrato Juan Campisteguy Gabriel Terra Alfredo Baldomir Juan José de Amézaga Tomás Berreta Luis Batlle Berres Andrés Martínez Trueba
Presidency abolished between 1955 and 1967; the National Council of Government became the collective head of state
Presidents (1967–present)	Óscar Diego Gestido Jorge Pacheco Areco Juan María Bordaberry Alberto Demicheli Aparicio Méndez Gregorio Conrado Álvarez Rafael Addiego Bruno Julio María Sanguinetti Luis Alberto Lacalle Julio María Sanguinetti Jorge Batlle Ibáñez Tabaré Vázquez José Mujica Tabaré Vázquez Luis Lacalle Pou

Heads of government

The president was both head of state and head of government between 1830 and 1917
Prime ministers of the National Council of Administration (1917–1933)	Feliciano Viera José Batlle y Ordóñez Julio María Sosa Luis Alberto de Herrera José Batlle y Ordóñez Luis C. Caviglia Baltasar Brum Juan Pedro Fabini Antonio Rubio
The president was both head of state and head of government between 1933 and 1955
Chairmen of the National Council of Government (1955–1967)	Luis Batlle Berres Alberto Fermín Zubiría Arturo Lezama Carlos Fischer Martín Echegoyen Benito Nardone Eduardo Víctor Haedo Faustino Harrison Daniel Fernández Crespo Luis Giannattasio Washington Beltrán Alberto Héber Usher
The president is both head of state and head of government from 1967 onward