Campisteguy, Juan (1859–1937)

Juan Campisteguy (b. 7 September 1859; d. 1937), president of Uruguay (1927–1931). Campisteguy, born in Montevideo, entered politics when he joined the revolutionary movement against the autocratic regime of Máximo Santos in 1886. His career within the ruling Colorado Party was closely linked to José Batlle y Ordóñez, of whose newspaper El Día he was one of the founding editors.

After two terms as member of the House of Representatives (1891–1897), Campisteguy was minister of finance (1897–1898) during Juan Lindolfo Cuestas's constitutional presidency as well as during his autocratic period following the 1898 coup. In 1903/1904, as minister of government under Batlle y Ordóñez, Campisteguy was one of the architects of the government victory over the Blanco rebellion led by Aparicio Saravia. He was subsequently a senator (1905–1911); a member of the Constituent Assembly for the Colorado Party's Riverista faction, which opposed Batlle's plans for the introduction of a colegiado system (1917); a deputy (1920–1923); and a member of the National Council of Administration (1921–1927).

Important achievements of Campisteguy's presidency were the creation of the state-owned Frigorífico Nacional (National Meat Packing Plant, 1928) and the Comité de Vigilancia Económica (Committee of Economic Vigilance, 1929).

See alsoBatlle y Ordóñez, José; Uruguay, Political Parties: Colorado Party.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Taylor, Philip Bates, Government and Politics of Uruguay (1960).

Lindahl, Göran E., Uruguay's New Path: A Study in Politics During the First Colegiado, 1919–33 (1962).

                                   Dieter Schonebohm