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Juan Hipólito del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús Yrigoyen Alem (12 July 1852 – 3 July 1933) was twice President of Argentina (from 1916 to 1922 and again from 1928 to 1930).
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Freedom activist
Born in Buenos Aires, Irigoyen worked as a school teacher before entering politics. In 1891 he co-founded the Unión Cívica Radical (Radical Civil Union),, together with his uncle, Leandro Alem. Following Alem's suicide in 1896, Hipólito Irigoyen assumed sole leadership of the Radical Civic Union. It adopted a policy of Intransigencia, a position of total opposition to the regime known as "The Agreement." Established by electoral fraud, this was an agreed formula among the political parties of that time for alternating in power. In its fervour, the Radical Civic Union took up arms in 1893 and again in 1905. Later, however, Irigoyen adopted a policy of nonviolence, pursuing instead the strategy of "revolutionary abstention," a total boycott of all polls until 1912, when President Roque Sáenz Peña was forced to agree to the passage of the Sáenz Rock law, which established secret, universal, and compulsory male suffrage.
First presidency (1916-1922)
Irigoyen was elected President of Argentina in 1916. He frequently found himself hemmed in, however, as the Senate was appointed by the legislatures of the provinces, most of which were controlled by the opposition. Several times, Irigoyen resorted to federal intervention by declaring a state of emergency, which deepened the confrontation with the establishment. Irigoyen was popular, however, among middle class voters, who felt integrated for the first time in political process, and the Argentinian economy prospered under his leadership. Irigoyen preserved Argentinian neutrality during World War I, which turned out to be a boon, owing to higher beef prices and the opening up of many new markets to Argentina's primary exports (meat and cereals). Argentina was known as the barn of the world, and its gross domestic product placed it among the wealthiest nations on earth. Constitutionally barred from re-election, Irigoyen was succeeded by Marcelo Torcuato de Alvear.
Second presidency (1928-1930)
On the expiration of Torcuato's term in 1928, Irigoyen was overwhelmingly elected President for the second time. Now in his late seventies, he found himself surrounded by aides who censored his access to news reports, hiding from him the reality of the effects of the Great Depression, which hit towards the end of 1929. Neofascist sectors of the army and the intelligentsia (such as Leopoldo Lugones) plotted openly for a regime change. On 16 September 1930, Irigoyen was deposed in a military coup by José Félix Uriburu. This was the first revolution since the adoption of the Argentinian constitution.
Twilight years
After his overthrow, Irigoyen was placed under house arrest and confined several times to the island of Martín García. He died in Buenos Aires.
| Preceded by: Victorino de la Plaza | President of Argentina 1916–1922 | Succeeded by: Marcelo Torcuato de Alvear |
| Preceded by: Marcelo Torcuato de Alvear | President of Argentina 1928–1930 | Succeeded by: José Félix Uriburu Sources
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