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Eleazar López Contreras

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is López and the second or maternal family name is Contreras.

Eleazar López Contreras
President of Venezuela
In office
18 December 1935 – 5 May 1941
Preceded byJuan Vicente Gómez
Succeeded byIsaías Medina Angarita
Ministry of War
In office
22 April 1931 – 17 December 1935
Preceded byTobías Utribe
Succeeded byAntonio Chalboud Cardona
Senator for life
In office
23 January 1961 – 2 January 1973
Personal details
Born(1883-05-05)5 May 1883
Queniquea, Táchira, Venezuela
Died2 January 1973(1973-01-02) (aged 89)
Caracas, Venezuela
Political partyIndependent
Spouse(s)Luz María Volkmar
Luisa Elena Mijares
María Teresa Núñez
Children
  • Blanca Rosa López
  • Eleazar López
  • Cristina López
  • Cecilia López
  • Fernando López
  • Margarita López
  • Mercedes Enriqueta López
  • María Teresa López
ProfessionGeneral, Politician
Signature
Military service
Branch/service
Years of service1899−1941
Rank Vice Commander (final)
Commands
Battles/wars

José Eleazar López Contreras (5 May 1883 – 2 January 1973) was the president of Venezuela between 1935 and 1941. He was an army general and one of Juan Vicente Gómez's collaborators, serving as his War Minister from 1931. In 1939, Contreras accepted on behalf of Venezuela the ships Koenigstein and Caribia which had fled with Jews from Germany.[1][2]

Presidency

At the beginning of his presidency he faced two great crises: the first one was on Friday, 14 February 1936, when a popular demonstration arrived at Miraflores to demand the restitution of constitutional guarantees, the dissolution of the Gomecista majority Congress and the summoning of a National Constituent Assembly. The bloody events that took place during the repression of said demonstration led to the immediate dismissal and temporary arrest of the Governor of the Capital District, Felix Galavis. President Lopez partially accepted the demands. The second was the labor strike in June of the same year, where the purpose of the opposition was to overthrow him, which was not accomplished. He reformed the Constitution in July 1936, tried to be democratic by reducing the presidential term from 7 to 5 years, a clause that he himself surprisingly applied. However, authoritarian measures were legalized, such as exile by presidential decree and the proscription of communist and anarchist ideologies, which caused several politicians accused of such to be expelled from the country, among them Rómulo Betancourt.

His government is remembered for the creation of protection and assistance organisms such as the Ministry of Health and Social Assistance by a decree on 25 February 1936. The importance of public hygiene was stated as a motive. Many of the innovations that the Ministry introduced were due to Arnoldo Gabaldón, who brought recommendations from the Conference of Directors of Public Health in Washington, D.C. in 1936. The Ministry of Agriculture and Breeding was also created due to the importance that the policy of Contreras intended to attribute to agricultural development. On 6 August, 1936 he created the Venezuelan Children's Council. In 1938 the Technical Institute of Immigration and Colonization was created, through which the government planned to distribute large estates to Venezuelan and foreign farmers, in order to repopulate the countryside and to raise the quality of life.

1936 Constitution

Main article: Constitution of Venezuela (1936)

Main changes:[3]

  • Senators and deputies are elected by second degree elections. They are in charge of electing the President of the Republic. With the 1945 reform, parliamentarians are elected directly.[4]
  • The presidential term is reduced from 7 to 5 years.
  • The parliamentary term is 4 years.
  • Men over 21 years of age and literate can elect and be elected.
  • Women can participate in the elections to Municipal Councils. After the reform of 1945, women are allowed to vote universally and by secret ballot.[4]
  • The name of Zamora State is changed to Barinas State.
  • Communist and anarchist activities are prohibited, but in the reform of 1945 this provision is suppressed.[4]

López Contreras cabinet

Cabinet[5]
OFFICE NAME TERM
President Eleazar López Contreras 1935–1941
Interior Affairs Pedro Tinoco 1935–1936
  Diógenes Escalante 1936
  Alejandro Lara 1936
  Régulo Olivares 1936–1937
  Alfonso Mejía 1937–1938
  Luis Gerónimo Pietri 1938–1941
Foreign Affairs Pedro Itriago Chacín 1935–1936
  Esteban Gil Borges 1936–1941
Finance Efraim González 1935–1936
  Gustavo Herrera 1936
  Alejandro Lara 1936
  Alberto Adriani 1936
  Cristóbal L. Mendoza 1937–1938
  Francisco J. Parra 1938–1941
War and Navy Antonio Chalbaud Cardona 1935–1936
  Isaías Medina Angarita 1936–1941
Development Pedro París 1936
  Nestor Luis Pérez 1936–1938
  Manuel R. Egaña 1938–1941
Public Works Antonio Díaz 1935–1936
  Tomás Pacaninis 1936–1938
  Enrique Jorge Aguerrevere 1938–1941
Public Instruction R. González Rincones 1935–1936
  José Ramón Ayala 1936
  Caracciolo Parra Pérez 1936
  Rómulo Gallegos 1936
  Alberto Smith 1936–1937
  Rafael Ernesto López 1937–1938
  Enrique Tejera 1938–1939
  Arturo Uslar Pietri 1939–1941
Sanitation and Agriculture R. González Rincones 1935–1936
Health and Social Welfare Enrique Tejera 1936
  Santos A. Dominici 1936–1937
  Honorio Sigala 1937–1938
  Julio García Álvarez 1938–1941
Agriculture Alberto Adriani 1936
  Alfonso Mejía 1936–1937
  Hugo Parra Pérez 1937–1938
  Amenodoro Rangel Lamus 1938–1939
  Alfonso Mejía 1939–1941
Communications Francisco H. Rivero 1936
  Honorio Sigala 1936
  Alejandro Lara 1936–1937
  Luis Gerónimo Pietri 1937–1938
  Héctor Cuenca 1938–1939
  José Rafael Pocaterra 1939–1941
Secretary of the Presidency Amenodoro Rangel 1935-1936
  Francisco Parra 1936
  Diógenes Escalante 1936–1938
  Alfonso Mejía 1938–1939
  Tulio Chiossone 1939−1941
Secretary Amenodoro Rangel Lamus 1935-1937

Personal life

Eleazar López Contreras was married to María Teresa Núñez Tovar,[citation needed] who served as First Lady of Venezuela from 1936 to 1941.[citation needed]

  • María Teresa Núñez Tovar
    María Teresa Núñez Tovar

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Eleazar López Contreras.

References

  1. ^ "Nuevo Mundo Israelita – Semanario al servicio de la comunidad judia de Venezuela". Archived from the original on 14 December 2013. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
  2. ^ "Morashá | Home". Archived from the original on 14 February 2015. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
  3. ^ "Fundación Empresas Polar > Historia de Venezuela para nosotros". 31 March 2008. Archived from the original on 31 March 2008. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  4. ^ a b c Rojas, Indira (18 October 2020). "La revolución del voto y el 18 de octubre de 1945". Prodavinci (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  5. ^ Centro Editor/José Rivas Rivas (1972). "Historia Gráfica de Venezuela. 1- El Gobierno de López Contreras"
Political offices
Preceded by President of Venezuela
1935–1941 		Succeeded by
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