Figueroa Alcorta, José (1860–1931)

José Alcorta Figueroa served as president of Argentina from 1906 to 1910. He was born on November 20, 1860, to a traditional family in the province of Córdoba and was educated in its best establishments, the Montserrat School and the Faculty of Law. He began his political career as a Juarista, a faction within the dominant National Autonomist Party, and held positions in the provincial legislature and presidential cabinet between 1885 and 1892, when he was elected deputy to the National Congress. From 1895 to 1898 he served as governor of Córdoba, and when his administration ended he was elected senator in the National Congress.

In 1904 Figueroa successfully ran for vice president on a ticket with Manuel Quintana. When Quintana died in 1906, Figueroa became president. His presidential legacy is somewhat problematic; in the name of democracy he devoted himself to fighting the faction of Roque Sáenz Peña within his party. Sáenz Peña succeeded him, however, and implemented a decisive electoral reform in 1912. Figueroa's methods included excessive use of federal intervention for party purposes, for example, using the police to close the special sessions of Congress in 1908. Appointed a member of the Supreme Court of Justice in 1915, he held that position until his death on December 27, 1931.

See alsoQuintana, Manuel .

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Botana, Natalio R. De la república posible a la república verdadera: 1880–1910. Buenos Aires: Compañía Editora Espasa Calpe Argentina, 1997.

                                        Paula Alonso