- Bernardino Caballero
Bernardino Caballero Melgarejo (
20 March 1839 -26 February 1912 ) was thePresident of Paraguay from 1881 until 1886 and founder of the Colorado Party.A descendant from Spanish nobility, he was the son of Jose Ramón Caballero de Anazco (a descendant from
Tupac Huallpa throughInca Garcilaso de la Vega ) and his wife Melchora Inés Melgarejo y Genés. Married twice, to María de la Concepción Díaz de Bedoya and to Julia Álvarez, without issue. From the first marriage he had two children, Ramon Caballero de Bedoya, married to Martha Cahen, and had issue, and Melchora Caballero de Bedoya, married to her distant cousin Carlos Francisco Saguier Pereira, and had issue.And outside the marriage he has 75 childs all was reconaised by him, thas he have many descendents.Born in
Ybycuí , he joined theParaguayan Army while still young and fought in theWar of the Triple Alliance . During the war, he became the assistant of PresidentFrancisco Solano López , inHumaitá and remaining loyal, rose through the ranks. He became an increasingly important leader of rearguard actions, eventually becoming aGeneral .After the death of
Juan Bautista Gill in 1877, he helped ensure his friendCándido Barreiro gained the presidency. Soon after Barreiro's death he organised acoup and took the presidency for himself, during which period heprivatised much of the land in Paraguay to raise money.Caballero rigged the 1886 election to ensure the victory
Patricio Escobar , his favoured candidate. In response, his opponents founded the Liberal Party and he then founded the Colorado Party. Out of office, Caballero maintained a large degree of control as he remained commander of the army. His favoured candidates controlled the country until 1894, whenJuan Bautista Eguzquiza overthrewJuan Gualberto González . Caballero helped to organise another coup in 1902, puttingJuan Antonio Escurra in power, but after Escurra's overthrow by the Argentine Army, the Liberals took power.The Paraguayan town of General Bernadino Caballero is named for him.
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