Agustn P. Justo – Biography of Agustn P. Justo

by
Agustin Pedro Justo (1876-1943) was an Argentine military and president who issued strong measures against the depression of the 1930s and favored democracies during World War II.

Born in Concepción del Uruguay, Entre Ríos, on February 26, 1876, Agustin Pedro Justo He was the son of Agustín P. Justo, who had been a deputy in Congress and governor of the province of Corrientes, and of Otilia Rolón Justo. After being deposed in 1871, Governor Justo moved to Entre Ríos and later to Buenos Aires.

The military career as a young man Just It began in 1888, when he entered the Colegio Militar, the national military academy. He graduated in 1892 as a second lieutenant; later he was professor of mathematics (1904-1915) at the same Military College and was also its director between 1915 and 1922, reaching the rank of colonel.

Already as Minister of War under President Marcelo T. de Alvear, he completely reorganized and reequipped the army, gaining the lasting appreciation and favor of politically active officers.

The 1929 depression led to military riots, and Just he joined former military comrades in the overthrow of aging President Hipólito Irigoyen in 1930. General José Félix Uriburu was provisional president until 1932, when the Conservatives elected Just for the highest office. During the even worse economic crisis of 1933, Just he reacted to a radical conspiracy by detaining Irigoyen for 2 months. Electoral fraud and violence aggravated the tense political situation, and by 1935 the Radicals already controlled the Chamber of Deputies.

An honest and vigorous executive, he fought the depression through corrective economic laws and a public works program. These measures slightly improved the economy, but did not satisfy radical opponents or increase their popularity.

In international affairs the capable foreign minister of Just, Carlos Saavedra Lamas, helped end the Chaco War between Bolivia and Peru. A trade agreement with Great Britain guaranteed Argentine meat a market, in exchange for concessions to British investors. With a world war looming, Just it reactivated Argentine participation in the League of Nations, and Buenos Aires hosted the Pan-American Conference of 1936, which Franklin D. Roosevelt attended in an effort to promote the solidarity of the American continent against the aggressor nations.

Before Just Quietly leaving the presidency in 1938, the death of his son in a plane crash aroused a certain public sympathy. After a tour of Europe, he re-entered politics.

When war broke out in Europe in 1939, Just he supported the allies and offered his personal services to Brazil after the country declared war on the Axis in 1942. He was considered a serious presidential candidate for the next elections, when he died suddenly in Buenos Aires on January 11, 1943.

Despite being a conservative, Just he opposed repression and aggression both at home and abroad. Throughout his life he was respected as an intellectual and bibliophile.