Facundo Machaín
| Facundo Machaín | |
|---|---|
| President of Paraguay | |
| In office August 31, 1870 – September 1, 1870 |
|
| Preceded by | Cirilo Antonio Rivarola |
| Succeeded by | Cirilo Antonio Rivarola |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 26, 1845 Asunción, Paraguay |
| Died | October 29, 1877 (aged 31) Asunción, Paraguay |
| Nationality | Paraguayan |
Facundo Machaín (November 26, 1845 - October 29, 1877) was President of Paraguay. His period of government was short but very important for the political situation of the country at the time.
His life
Facundo Machaín Recalde was a lawyer and politician. He was born in Asunción, on November 26, 1845. He studied in Chile, in the Universidad Central where he graduated from Law School. His professor was the Argentine Andrés Bello. He was 25 years old when he was elected President. His parents were José Serapio Machaín y Zavala and Clara Recalde y Machaín. He married Clara Recalde, but had no children.
He had several siblings: Esteban, León, Raymundo (who married his widow), Josefa (married Federico Zorraquín), Francisca (married Alberto Robinson), Emilia and Serapio Machaín. Facundo was one of the first Paraguayans who spoke in a public square to the people and managed to captivate the audience with his strong personality, his youth and culture. According to the biography written by José Segundo Decoud, Facundo was a good speaker but had difficulties with writing.
He was murdered at the age of 32 in his prison cell by the henchmen who guarded him, in the massacre of the public jail on October 29, 1877. His death caused great sadness in Paraguayan society. It was said that with it, Paraguayan writing lost a great professor.
A street in the neighborhood of Mariscal Estigarribia, in Asunción, is named after Facundo.
Government
The government of the Triumvirate had a short existence. In May 1870 one of the members, José Díaz de Bedoya, resigned, and on August 31, 1870 Carlos Loizaga also did the same. Because of this, Antonio Rivarola was relieved of his duties by the National Assembly. When the Assembly declared finished the government of the Triumvirate and established the provisional presidency of the republic, Machaín was designated by 37 votes against 5 to hold that position. He took on the position on August 31, 1870 and swore the following oath: “I swear before God and the Country, to fulfill truthfully my duties as President and all the dispositions of the Sovereign Constituent Convention”. He was an important part in the works toward the reorganization of the Republic. But only 12 hours after, a plot planned by Cirilo Antonio Rivarola, with the help of some allied forces, overthrew his government on September 1, 1870. That same night, Rivarola re-established himself in charge of the government, being legitimized by the National Assembly. His Vice-President was Cayo Miltos, who later died and was replaced by Salvador Jovellanos. This was the first coup in Paraguay after the war.
Studies and career
He did his first studies in Asunción, after he moved to Chile where he studied Law. He returned to the Paraguay after the Paraguayan War.
He was designated member of the Supreme Court of Justice in 1872 and, during the government of President Juan Bautista Gill, he was National Chancellor, position in which he made a brilliant job, specially in the defense of the Paraguayan rights over the Chaco territory. He was President of the “Gran Club del Pueblo” and member of the National Assembly. On August 27, the Convention designated him member of the commission in charge of writing the Constitution project, in which he intervened and stood out as the best speaker of the Assembly.
In 1876, after the War of the Triple Alliance he participated, along with the Argentine Chancellor Bernardo de Irigoyen, in the Limits Agreement, later called the Machaín-Yrigoyen Treaty.
He worked as a journalist and was professor and the first director of the Colegio Nacional de Asunción (Asunción’s National School), which building was demolished later. From that building he watched the bloody episode of the murder of President Juan Bautista Gill. When hearing the first shooting he went out to one of the balconies that opened to the Libertad Street (nowadays called Eligio Ayala) shouting: “The President is being killed”.
In 1877 he was present in the defense of the accused for the murder of President Gill. Political situations made him a victim of political passions. He was imprisoned and occupied the same cell as his defendants, among them there was Commander José Dolores Molas.
References
- Los presidentes del Paraguay. Raúl Amaral
- Manuel Franco. Un gobernante ejemplar y austero. Juan Samaniego
- Historia de la cultura del Paraguay. Víctor Ayala Queirolo
External links
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | President of Paraguay 1870 |
Succeeded by Cirilo Antonio Rivarola |
