José Gutiérrez-Guerra, known as "the last Oligarch," (Sucre 1869 – Antofagasta, Chile, 1929 [1]) was President of Bolivia between 1917 and 1920.
The scion of an aristocratic family from Chuquisaca which traced descent from eminent judges of the Audiencia of Charcas, he was sent to England at an early age to receive the best education possible. On his mother's side, he was related to British statesman Lord Palmerston. He later returned to Bolivia, where he worked in banking. An economist by training, he entered politics almost against his will. In 1914, he was elected deputy (representative) from La Paz. His rise was meteoric, however, as he was tipped to succeed Ismael Montes as Liberal party candidate in the 1917 presidential elections. Having won at the polls, he took office but faced severe problems stemming from worsening economic conditions and mounting opposition from the recently-formed Republican party. The 1917 assassination (never fully explained) of the founder of that party and former president, José Manuel Pando, further undermined Gutiérrez-Guerra's popularity and legitimacy. Worse, the latter failed to act decisively from the point of view of the regime's opponents, despite his call on Congress to launch an official investigation into the alleged excesses and misdeeds of his predecessor and political chief, Ismael Montes. Twenty-plus years of unbroken Liberal control of the government (the longest by one party in the history of Bolivia) had fatigued most Bolivians and turned them against the ruling elites and their methods, and earned the red-bearded, green-eyed head of state of this Andean nation, where the majority of people are Indian, the nickname "the last Oligarch."
All of this culminated in the 1920 coup d'état which, with military help, brought to power the opposition Republican party under the leadership of Bautista Saavedra. Gutierrez-Guerra sought refuge in the U.S. embassy and, exiled to Chile, lived the rest of his days there, dying in Antofgasta in the year 1929.
Parker, William Belmont, "Bolivians of to-day", Hispanic Society of America - 1922, pp. 141-144.
Benavides, Julio M., "José Gutiérrez Guerra en nuestra historia económica" 1975.
Ovidio Urioste, Mi historia anecdótica de Bolivia (1951).
| Preceded by Ismael Montes |
President of Bolivia 1917–1920 |
Succeeded by Bautista Saavedra |