Bernardino Bilbao Rioja

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Bust of Bernardino Bilbao Rioja in La Paz

Bernardino Bilbao Rioja (born May 20, 1895 in Arampampa , † May 13, 1983 in La Paz ) was a Bolivian general and politician who campaigned for the presidency in his 1951 and 1966 for the Falange Socialista Boliviana (FSB) Homeland applied, but lost to competitors Víctor Paz Estenssoro (1951) and René Barrientos Ortuño (1966) with 11 and 13 percent of the vote respectively . He was in command of the Chaco War and was named Marshal of the Bolivian Army for his services in the battles of Cañada Strongest.

Live and act

Bernardino Bilbao is the son of José Bilbao Pastos and Andrea Rioja. He attended elementary school in his hometown and began his military training at the Colegio Militar of La Paz in 1912 at the age of 17. In 1918 he was an instructor in the Chilean artillery, the following year he rose to lieutenant and became a military pilot with the Chilean Air force. In 1925 he took part in various campaigns of the Bolivian general Hans Kundt and founded and organized the aviation military school. In 1928 he married Phyllis Grace Smith. In 1930 he worked under the interim government of President Carlos Blanco Galindo as Minister of War and Minister of Communications and in 1932 as a military attaché in the Bolivian Embassy in Buenos Aires . In the following years he took part in the fighting of the Chaco War between Bolivia, Paraguay and Argentina. Here Bilbao takes part in various battles, such as that of Cañada Strongest, Kilometer Seven, the retaking of Alihuatá and the defense of Villamontes . He distinguished himself by his courage and his excellent organization in the defense of Villamontes. After the war, Bilbao traveled to Europe for medical treatment. He stayed in Europe and worked for the Army of Bolivia as a military advisor in 1937. His homeland planned to purchase air systems for manufacturing in Germany, England, Sweden, France and Czechoslovakia.

In 1939 Bilbao was appointed Commander in Chief of the Bolivian Army. In the same year he was beaten in the government palace and banished to Chile by the government of Carlos Quintanilla because he considered him a potential political enemy. Then Bilbao became an FSB fighter and in 1951 and 1966 presidential candidate for the party grouping FSB, but he was defeated by the competitors Víctor Paz Estenssoro (1951) and René Barrientos Ortuño (1966). Shortly afterwards he retired into private life.

Bernardino Bilbao died on May 13, 1983 at the age of 88 in the city of La Paz.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ La ex avenida Kantutani ahora se llama Mariscal Bernardino Bilbao Rioja at noticiasfides.com, accessed on August 24, 2019.
  2. ↑ a b Bernardino Bilbao Rioja (1895 - 1983) at educa.com, accessed on August 24, 2019.
personal data
SURNAME Bilbao Rioja, Bernardino
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Bolivian general and politician
DATE OF BIRTH May 20, 1895
PLACE OF BIRTH Arampampa
DATE OF DEATH May 13, 1983
Place of death La Paz