Pérez Godoy, Ricardo (1905–1982)

Ricardo Pérez Godoy (b. 9 June 1905; d. 27 July 1982), commander in chief of Peru's armed forces, army general, and senior officer of the fourman junta that governed Peru from 18 July 1962 to 28 July 1963. After inconclusive presidential elections in June 1962 resulted in a virtual three-way tie among the leading contenders, the military took power by an "institutional act" of the armed forces. As commander in chief of Peru's armed forces, Pérez Godoy assumed the ceremonial duties of chief of state.

During the first months of junta government, several reformist initiatives concerning agrarian issues were promulgated. These anticipated the 1968–1980 military government's more sweeping reforms. The junta's reformist phase ended in January 1963 with the countrywide crackdown on Communist organizations and activists. Pérez Godoy was forced to retire in March 1963, amid allegations that he did not share his authority sufficiently with his copresidents. He lived quietly in retirement until his death.

See alsoJunta, Spanish America; Peru: Peru Since Independence.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Daniel P. Werlich, Peru: A Short History (1978).

Daniel M. Masterson, Militarism and Politics in Latin America: Peru from Sánchez Cerro to Sendero Luminoso (1991).

Additional Bibliography

Masterson, Daniel M. Fuerza armada y sociedad en el Perú moderno: Un estudio sobre relaciones civiles militares, 1930–2000. Lima: Instituto de Estudios Políticos y Estratégicos, 2001.

                                  David Scott Palmer