Rafael Franco

Rafael Franco

Rafael Franco (born October 22, 1896 in Asunción ; † September 15, 1973 ibid.) Was a Paraguayan major and president (1936–1937).

Franco was born in Asunción on October 22, 1896 to Federico Franco and Marcelina Ojeda. After primary school he attended the Colegio Nacional in Asunción. At the age of 19 he began his training at the military school. In 1918 he was promoted to lieutenant, in 1924 to captain and in 1928 to major. He took part in battles in the Chaco War and was celebrated as a war hero. After a coup on February 17, 1936, he became president on February 20, until he was overthrown on August 13, 1937 by a military backstroke. In his short tenure, he created the Ministry of Agriculture and Health and had several hospitals built inland. He founded various unions, such as the Central Nacional de Trabajadores , the Comité de Movilización Civil or the Unión Nacional Feminista , and introduced the eight-hour day and the non- working Sunday. He declared March 1st a national holiday. He created a pension scheme for the military personnel of the Chaco War. He implemented an agricultural reform that benefited around 10,000 families. They could each acquire up to 50 hectares of land from the state with a repayment period of 15 years.

After that, Franco lived in exile in Montevideo , where he spent more than 20 years. In the meantime he took part as a commander in the civil war of 1947. He was later allowed to return to Asunción, where he died on September 15, 1973 at the age of 77. He lived and died poorly in spite of his high function, as evidence of his acknowledged humility and sincerity.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Rafael Franco, el político y gobernante desconocido pese a sus grandes obras abc.com.py , July 27, 2016, accessed on April 5, 2019.
2. ↑ Rafael Franco - Datos Biográficos portalguarani.com , accessed April 5, 2019.
3. ^ R. Andrew Nickson: Historical Dictionary of Paraguay p. 254, Rowman & Littlefield, 2015

predecessor	Office	successor
Eusebio Ayala	President of Paraguay 1936–1937	Félix Paiva