Ismael Montes
Ismael Montes | |
|---|---|
| Born | Error: Invalid birth date for calculating age La Paz, Bolivia |
| Died | 16 October 1933 (aged 72) La Paz, Bolivia |
| Occupation(s) | Military officer, statesman, politician |
| Years active | 1879–1933 |
| Known for | 26th President of Bolivia (1904–1909, 1913–1917) |
Ismael Montes Gamboa (born 5 October 1861 – died 16 October 1933) was a Bolivian military officer and statesman who held the presidency of Bolivia twice, serving as the nation's 26th president from 1904 to 1909 and again from 1913 to 1917. Affiliated with the Liberal Party, his initial administration is noted for the ratification of the Treaty of Peace and Friendship with Chile on 20 October 1904.
Early years and military service
Montes entered the world on 5 October 1861 in La Paz, Bolivia, born into a prosperous family owning extensive land. He was the offspring of General Clodomiro Montes and Tomasa Gamboa.
In 1878, he commenced legal studies at the Universidad Mayor de San Andrés (UMSA), but abandoned his academic pursuits to enlist as a private in the Murillo Regiment after Chile occupied Antofagasta in 1879. During the War of the Pacific, he participated in the pivotal Battle of Alto de la Alianza in 1880, which was the final significant confrontation between Bolivia and Chile. Montes sustained grave injuries and was taken prisoner, remaining captive until hostilities ceased.
Upon his return to Bolivia, he received a direct promotion to captain in recognition of his valor. He then took on the role of military instructor before retiring from active duty in 1884 to complete his law degree at UMSA, graduating on 12 June 1886.
Political trajectory
At twenty-nine years old, in 1890, Montes secured election as Deputy representing the Liberal Party (Bolivia). His progressive ideals often conflicted with the dominant conservative ideology. Concurrently, he was appointed head of Civil Law within UMSA’s law faculty.
As a legislator, Montes gained recognition for his persuasive oratory and formed a lasting political partnership with fellow liberal Atanasio de Urioste Velasco.
Background and enactment of the "Radicatory Law"
Conservative President Severo Fernández sought to settle enduring disputes over Bolivia’s official seat of government. Prior to 1880, executive authority was exercised wherever the president resided, while Congress convened at various locations including Sucre, La Paz, Oruro, Cochabamba, and Tapacarí. Sucre remained officially designated as the capital since Antonio José de Sucre’s tenure, primarily due to aristocratic influence and limited resources preventing relocation. By the 1880s, conservative administrations had established themselves in Sucre, effectively making it the capital in practice.
On 31 October 1898, deputies from Sucre introduced the "Radicatory Law," intended to affirm Sucre as the permanent executive capital. Deputies from La Paz opposed this by proposing that Congress be moved to neutral Cochabamba—a suggestion that was dismissed. Liberals initially acquiesced to Sucre’s status strategically, expecting they could later rally La Paz’s populace and military forces under Colonel José Manuel Pando to contest it. On 6 November, widespread unrest broke out in La Paz demanding federalism and official recognition as the capital. By 14 November, a Federal Committee led by Pando was formed to represent these demands before Congress. Nevertheless, on 17 November, the "Radicatory Law" passed, officially confirming Sucre as capital; this decision was promulgated on 19 November.
In reaction to this outcome, La Paz liberals established a Federal Board on 12 December that included defectors such as Prefect and Commander General Serapio Reyes Ortiz and Minister of Instruction Macario Pinilla. Pando’s faction forged an alliance with Pablo Zárate Willka, cacique of the Altiplano, thereby strengthening their federalist movement’s support base.
Outbreak of war
Following these developments, deputies from La Paz withdrew under instructions from the Federal Board and were greeted with great acclaim by the populace of La Paz. The federalists then concentrated their efforts on deposing President Fernández. Meanwhile, in Sucre, Fernández's supporters organized public rallies in defense of the government.
Fernández advanced towards La Paz commanding three divisions stationed at Sucre, namely Bolivar, Junín, and Hussars. Upon learning in Challapata that rebel forces had amassed over two thousand firearms, he called for volunteers to enlist in the capital. Two brigades were assembled: one consisting of upper-class youths equipped with their own horses and arms (the 25 de Mayo battalion and Sucre squadron), and another formed by young men from popular classes (Olañeta battalion and Monteagudo squadron). During their advance, government troops looted indigenous rural communities.
The initial government brigade engaged Pando’s forces at Cosmini; after retreating to the parish of Ayo Ayo, they suffered a massacre on 24 January 1899. In Potosí, locals resisted providing support to government soldiers, while inhabitants of Santa Cruz and Tarija maintained neutrality. Indigenous uprisings siding with the Liberals erupted in Cochabamba, Oruro, La Paz, and Potosí.
The pivotal confrontation occurred at Segundo Crucero on 10 April 1899, where Pando’s troops overcame Fernández after four hours of fighting. The defeated forces withdrew to Oruro; Fernández subsequently went into exile. Throughout the conflict, Montes remained a steadfast Liberal supporter serving under Pando’s command.
After the civil war
Montes participated in the Assembly of Oruro convened to deliberate Bolivia's future direction. Following Pando’s election as president, Montes was appointed Minister of War and promoted to colonel.[1] His efforts centered on modernizing and imposing discipline within the military.[2] Montes led a military campaign during the Acre War (1900–1903) against Brazilian filibusters. After the war's conclusion, he devoted himself entirely to political ambitions aiming to succeed José Manuel Pando.
In 1904, Montes secured his party’s nomination for president and won a competitive election against Lucio Pérez Velasco.[3]
First term
On 20 October 1904, Montes ratified the Treaty of Peace and Friendship with Chile, officially ending hostilities stemming from the War of the Pacific. This treaty affirmed Chile’s permanent sovereignty over Bolivia’s coastal territory.[4]
Mid-20th century Bolivian historiography interprets this treaty as a response to Chilean economic pressures through customs controls and trade limitations.[5] The liberal administrations led by Pando and Montes regarded railway expansion and guaranteed free transit rights within the treaty as valuable concessions.[6] Following Chile’s 1902 agreement with Argentina that reduced its military focus, its capacity to exert military pressure on Bolivia declined.
In 1905, Montes also concluded a trade and customs agreement with Peru.[2][7] As a devoted liberal, he institutionalized civil marriage, religious freedom, and abolished ecclesiastical jurisdiction within the Constitution.[1] These reforms caused a rupture with the Holy See, which responded with Pope Pius X’s apostolic letter Afflictum propioribus in 1906. Montes modernized the Bolivian Army by securing assistance from a French military mission.
The 1908 general elections resulted in government-backed candidate Fernando Eloy Guachalla winning; however, he passed away before taking office.[2]
Influenced by Montes, Congress denied Vice President Eufronio Viscarra succession rights due to Guachalla’s death prior to inauguration; this effectively extended Montes’ presidency by one year.[1] In the subsequent 1909 elections, Liberal candidate Eliodoro Villazón Montaño was victorious.
Second term
In 1913, Montes made a successful return from Europe to reclaim the presidency, securing a decisive victory. Throughout this second nonconsecutive administration, he established the Central Bank of Bolivia, an essential entity for consolidating the country's economic framework.
Nevertheless, internal conflicts intensified within the Liberal Party, prompting several members to defect to the Republican Party, which had been established by former president Pando in 1914. As Montes’ term drew to a close, he endorsed liberal candidate José Gutiérrez Guerra, who ultimately won the presidency and ensured the continuation of Liberal Party control.
Following his departure from office, Montes was appointed as Bolivia’s ambassador to France. When the Republicans displaced the Liberals in 1920, he remained exiled in Paris until 1928, at which point he reassumed leadership of the Liberal Party. Additionally, he held the position of President of the Central Bank of Bolivia from 1931 until 1933.
The Chaco War and final years
Montes enjoyed a prominent military career that spanned more than fifty years, participating in significant conflicts such as the War of the Pacific (1879), the Civil War (1898–1899), and the War of Acre (1900–1903). This extensive service earned him considerable respect within the national military establishment.
During the Chaco War (1932–1935), President Daniel Salamanca appointed Montes as a military advisor to Bolivia’s armed forces. Due to his advanced years, Montes passed away unexpectedly on 16 October 1933 in La Paz before witnessing the war’s resolution.
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs named:0 - ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs named:1 - ↑ Diputados, Bolivia Congreso Nacional Cámara de (1917). Proyectos E Informes (in español). Editorial La Paz.
- ↑ Montes, Ismael (1920). Les droits de la Bolivie sur Tacna et Arica: The rights of Bolivia to Tacna and Arica. E. Stanford, Limited.
- ↑ A cien años del Tratado de Paz y Amistad de 1904 entre Bolivia y Chile (in español). Fundemos. 2004.
- ↑ Millán, Juan Albarracín (2005). La dominación perpetua de Bolivia: la visión chilena de Bolivia en el Tratato [i.e. Tratado] de 1904 (in español). Plural editores. ISBN 978-99905-63-55-9.
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
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