Alfredo Baldomir

Alfredo Baldomir
Born	Alfredo Baldomir Ferrari (1884-08-27) 27 August 1884 Montevideo, Uruguay
Died	25 February 1948(1948-02-25) (aged 63) Montevideo, Uruguay
Occupation(s)	Military officer, architect, political leader
Known for	President of Uruguay (1938–1943)

Alfredo Baldomir Ferrari (August 27, 1884 – February 25, 1948) was a Uruguayan military officer, architect, and political leader who held the office of President of Uruguay between 1938 and 1943. Although Uruguay officially remained neutral throughout World War II, his government extended considerable assistance to the Allied forces.

Background

A native of Montevideo, Baldomir enrolled at the Military Academy in 1900 but temporarily halted his education due to the 1904 revolution, during which he undertook various military responsibilities. Following this period, he completed his training as a commissioned army officer and pursued architectural studies. Between 1913 and 1919, he worked as an architect within the army's General Staff and subsequently served as head of the military construction bureau under President Gabriel Terra.

In March 1931, Baldomir was named chief of police for Montevideo. He was elected Second Vice President in April 1934 and held the position of Minister of National Defense from September 1935 until resigning to contest the presidency.

His academic career included teaching roles at the Military School, the School of Engineering, and a fifteen-year tenure as professor of construction at the School of Architecture. Moreover, he chaired the Commission on Low-cost Housing, managing residential development projects aimed at public servants and workers.

President of Uruguay

Baldomir secured the presidency in 1938 as a representative of the long-established Colorado Party, taking office on June 19, with Alfredo Navarro serving as Vice President. Emphasizing Uruguay’s foreign relations, he appointed diplomat Alberto Guani as Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Throughout World War II, Baldomir opposed domestic support for the Axis powers and formally cut diplomatic relations with them in early 1942. That same year, holding the rank of army general, he augmented his power by orchestrating a military coup, dissolving parliament, declaring a state of emergency, and extending his presidential term by one year. Subsequently, a new constitution was enacted.

His government introduced extensive labor reforms: updated safety standards for scaffolding; clear legal distinctions between intellectual and manual labor; authorization of tax-exempt housing; regulations governing homework; and minimum work conditions for rice plantation laborers. Health initiatives included establishing medical registries and mandatory health examinations for hazardous occupations, along with employer obligations to provide protective gear for water-related jobs. Workers in construction gained access to loans equivalent to their wages repayable over twenty months. Additionally, industrial hygiene education programs were implemented alongside safety measures for grape pressing machinery.

Agricultural legislation featured the 1939 Law No. 9898 permitting land expropriation to benefit displaced farmers and the 1941 Law No. 10,051 introducing land subdivision frameworks involving the BHU. From 1941 onward, special support measures were enacted for agricultural cooperatives.

Social security enhancements broadened both coverage and benefits: unemployment compensation was extended to sailors affected by shipwrecks (1939); survivor pensions became available to civil servants (1940); pension eligibility expanded to include military personnel (1941); and pension funds were established for notaries public, domestic workers, and rural employees. In 1941, compulsory insurance against death, old age, and disability was introduced for self-employed individuals and business proprietors alongside expanded workers’ compensation protections.

In 1943, Baldomir voluntarily organized elections and stepped down from office while ensuring continued political leadership by the Colorado Party.

Later life

Baldomir stepped down from the presidency on 1 March 1943 and went on to become the president of the Banco de la República Oriental del Uruguay from 1943 until 1946. He passed away in Montevideo in 1948.

Legacy

Despite his initial endorsement of the authoritarian regime led by Gabriel Terra, Baldomir’s decision to side with the Allied powers during World War II has contributed to a more favorable view of his legacy.

He was instrumental in reestablishing democratic governance by breaking away from the Herrerista Blancos faction, which supported authoritarianism and upheld the 1934 constitution. After the United States entered the war, Baldomir cut diplomatic relations with the Axis countries in 1942, distanced himself from Luis Alberto de Herrera, and orchestrated a self-coup that dismantled the 1934 constitution. This action, often referred to as the "Good Coup," received backing from both the Batllista faction of the Colorado Party and the U.S. government. Uruguay maintained its democratic system until the onset of the military dictatorship in 1973.

See also

• Constitution of Uruguay of 1942
• Politics of Uruguay