Marmaduque Grove
Encyclopedia
Marmaduque Grove Vallejo (July 6, 1878 - May 15, 1954) was a Chile
an Air Force officer, political figure and member of the Government Junta of the Socialist Republic of Chile
in 1932.
, Chile, the son of lawyer, José Marmaduque Grove Abalos and Ana Vallejo Burgoa. He his first studies were in School Nº 1 of Copiapó and later at the local Liceum. From a very young age he was interested in the army, and in 1892, was accepted to the Chilean Naval Academy. Very shortly before graduation, he participated in the so-called “Stale-bread rebellion”, as a result of which he was expelled from the navy. That incident proved to be his turning point and from then on he declared his motto to be an “undying love for the underdogs and for true justice”.
In 1897, he was accepted in the Military Academy, from which he graduated as an artillery sub-lieutenant. At the Military Academy, he was a classmate of Carlos Ibáñez del Campo
and Arturo Puga Osorio
, with both of whom he remained in contact for the rest of his long military and political life. In 1906 he was sent to Germany to specialize in artillery, and remained there until 1911. By 1912 he had become a mason and the following year he joined the War Academy. Later he was transferred to the Tacna
Garrison, where he remained until 1917. In that city he married Rebeca Valenzuela, with whom he had six children.
He had a brilliant military career, and from 1920 to 1924 he was Under-Director of the Military Academy. After being promoted to Colonel, he was named Director of the Air Force Academy in 1925 which had just been formed at that time.
, constitutional reforms, and changes to the employment code. He also was in charge of obtaining the support from the navy officers, which he got. He also tried his hand at journalism, and had a column at the "La Nación" newspaper supporting the committee, under the byline of Ekud.
This incident was a turning point. Even though the petitions were approved, the committee was not dissolved. President Arturo Alessandri
, noticing that he had lost control over these officers, resigned and left the country on September 10. This led to the creation of a Government Junta
, with the participation of Carlos Ibáñez del Campo
.
became president, he was confirmed as military attaché in London, as a way to keep him outside the country. While in London, he contacted ex-president Alessandri
who was also in exile. Together they started to conspire against Ibáñez. On January 17, 1929, together with also exiled General Enrique Bravo and major Carlos Millán, they signed the “Calais pact" and sworn themselves to bring democracy back to Chile. In November of that year, a meeting of the conspirators was discovered at Dover
by the Ibáñez agents, and on November 28 he was sent into retirement from the army and deported to Buenos Aires
.
. The plan failed and Grove, together with lieutenant Carlos Charlín Ojeda were arrested and deported to Easter Island
. He managed to escape from there on board a French corvette bound for Tahiti
, and from there he went to Marseilles. Nonetheless he only was able to return to Chile after the fall of Ibáñez on July 26, 1931.
reincorporated him to the Army and on March 17, 1932 promoted him to Air Commodore and named him Air Force Commander-in-chief. Still, Grove continued conspiring against Montero, and toppled him on June 4, 1932 through a military coup. He then proceeded to create the Socialist Republic of Chile
. This republic lasted only 12 days.
The Socialist republic was headed by a Government Junta
composed of General Arturo Puga
, Carlos Dávila
and Eugenio Matte. He became Defense minister, a position he held from June 5 to June 16, 1932.
In that short time, the Socialist republic only managed to approve some social measures, such as the obligation of the Central Bank to grant credits to small mining and agricultural concerns and the restitution of the pawned articles at the Government Pawn to its owners. They also established diplomatic relations with Soviet Russia.
The Government Junta was in turn toppled by Carlos Dávila
on June 16, 1932, who in turn remained in power for only one hundred days. In the meantime Grove was once again sent exiled to Easter Island
.
of 1932, he was nominated candidate by the Socialist forces. He was able to return from his exile in Easter Island
only two days before the election, but still managed to come in second, behind Arturo Alessandri
, with a 17.7 % of the vote.
, and Carlos Alberto Martínez, Grove founded the Socialist Party of Chile
. He became General Secretary of that party in 1938 and president of the Popular Front
coalition that won the presidential election
that same year with the candidate Pedro Aguirre Cerda
.
Grove was elected Senator on May 9, 1934, in a by-election held to replace deceased Senator Eugenio Matte Hurtado, who had died in January of that year. His slogan was, "From the jail to the Senate", because he had to campaign from jail, where he was kept for conspiring against President Alessandri. As senator he proposed the first plan of Agrarian Reform in Chile in 1939. His slogan this time was, "Neither land without men nor men without land" (Ni tierra sin hombres, ni hombres sin tierra). He was reelected as a Senator in 1941. He was defeated and retired from the Senate in 1949.
Commodore Grove died at the age of 75 on May 15, 1954, at Santiago, Chile
.
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
an Air Force officer, political figure and member of the Government Junta of the Socialist Republic of Chile
Socialist Republic of Chile
Socialist Republic of Chile was a short-lived political entity in Chile, that was proclaimed by the Government Junta that took over that year.-Background:...
in 1932.
Early life
He was born in CopiapoCopiapó
Copiapó is a city in northern Chile, located about 40 miles east of the coastal town of Caldera. Founded on December 8, 1744, it is the capital of Copiapó Province and Atacama Region....
, Chile, the son of lawyer, José Marmaduque Grove Abalos and Ana Vallejo Burgoa. He his first studies were in School Nº 1 of Copiapó and later at the local Liceum. From a very young age he was interested in the army, and in 1892, was accepted to the Chilean Naval Academy. Very shortly before graduation, he participated in the so-called “Stale-bread rebellion”, as a result of which he was expelled from the navy. That incident proved to be his turning point and from then on he declared his motto to be an “undying love for the underdogs and for true justice”.
In 1897, he was accepted in the Military Academy, from which he graduated as an artillery sub-lieutenant. At the Military Academy, he was a classmate of Carlos Ibáñez del Campo
Carlos Ibáñez del Campo
General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo was a Chilean Army officer and political figure. He served as dictator between 1927 and 1931 and as constitutional President from 1952 to 1958.- The coups of 1924 and 1925 :...
and Arturo Puga Osorio
Arturo Puga
General Arturo Puga Osorio , was a Chilean military officer and Chairman of Government Junta in 1932.On June 4, 1932 he became Chairman of the Government Junta that was established after the resignation of President Juan Esteban Montero...
, with both of whom he remained in contact for the rest of his long military and political life. In 1906 he was sent to Germany to specialize in artillery, and remained there until 1911. By 1912 he had become a mason and the following year he joined the War Academy. Later he was transferred to the Tacna
Tacna
- Rail :Tacna is served by a cross-border standard gauge railway to Arica, Chile.It is also the location of the National Railway Museum of Peru.-Air:Tacna is served by the Crnl. FAP...
Garrison, where he remained until 1917. In that city he married Rebeca Valenzuela, with whom he had six children.
He had a brilliant military career, and from 1920 to 1924 he was Under-Director of the Military Academy. After being promoted to Colonel, he was named Director of the Air Force Academy in 1925 which had just been formed at that time.
Political career
1924 also marked his beginnings in politics. On September 3, 1924, he had a notorious participation in the incident known as the "saber-rattling", where 56 military officers protested for their low salaries. The next day the officers involved created the "military committee" to defend themselves from the government. He was selected to carry the petitions to the president. These included increase of the military salaries, changes to the income taxIncome tax
An income tax is a tax levied on the income of individuals or businesses . Various income tax systems exist, with varying degrees of tax incidence. Income taxation can be progressive, proportional, or regressive. When the tax is levied on the income of companies, it is often called a corporate...
, constitutional reforms, and changes to the employment code. He also was in charge of obtaining the support from the navy officers, which he got. He also tried his hand at journalism, and had a column at the "La Nación" newspaper supporting the committee, under the byline of Ekud.
This incident was a turning point. Even though the petitions were approved, the committee was not dissolved. President Arturo Alessandri
Arturo Alessandri
Arturo Fortunato Alessandri Palma was a Chilean political figure and reformer, who served twice as the President of Chile, first between 1920 and 1924, and then again in 1925, and finally from 1932 until 1938....
, noticing that he had lost control over these officers, resigned and left the country on September 10. This led to the creation of a Government Junta
Government Junta of Chile (1924)
Government Junta of Chile , was the political structure established to rule Chile following the military coup that overthrew President Arturo Alessandri...
, with the participation of Carlos Ibáñez del Campo
Carlos Ibáñez del Campo
General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo was a Chilean Army officer and political figure. He served as dictator between 1927 and 1931 and as constitutional President from 1952 to 1958.- The coups of 1924 and 1925 :...
.
Calais pact
In 1925 he started a long period of travels through Europe, as military attaché. When Carlos Ibáñez del CampoCarlos Ibáñez del Campo
General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo was a Chilean Army officer and political figure. He served as dictator between 1927 and 1931 and as constitutional President from 1952 to 1958.- The coups of 1924 and 1925 :...
became president, he was confirmed as military attaché in London, as a way to keep him outside the country. While in London, he contacted ex-president Alessandri
Arturo Alessandri
Arturo Fortunato Alessandri Palma was a Chilean political figure and reformer, who served twice as the President of Chile, first between 1920 and 1924, and then again in 1925, and finally from 1932 until 1938....
who was also in exile. Together they started to conspire against Ibáñez. On January 17, 1929, together with also exiled General Enrique Bravo and major Carlos Millán, they signed the “Calais pact" and sworn themselves to bring democracy back to Chile. In November of that year, a meeting of the conspirators was discovered at Dover
Dover
Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...
by the Ibáñez agents, and on November 28 he was sent into retirement from the army and deported to Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
.
The little red plane
Once in Argentina, Grove immediately started to conspire again. On September 21, 1930, he flew to Chile in a little red plane and landed in ConcepciónConcepción, Chile
Concepción is a city in Chile, capital of Concepción Province and of the Biobío Region or Region VIII. Greater Concepción is the second-largest conurbation in the country, with 889,725 inhabitants...
. The plan failed and Grove, together with lieutenant Carlos Charlín Ojeda were arrested and deported to Easter Island
Easter Island
Easter Island is a Polynesian island in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian triangle. A special territory of Chile that was annexed in 1888, Easter Island is famous for its 887 extant monumental statues, called moai, created by the early Rapanui people...
. He managed to escape from there on board a French corvette bound for Tahiti
Tahiti
Tahiti is the largest island in the Windward group of French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of the Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is the economic, cultural and political centre of French Polynesia. The island was formed from volcanic activity and is high and mountainous...
, and from there he went to Marseilles. Nonetheless he only was able to return to Chile after the fall of Ibáñez on July 26, 1931.
Socialist Republic of Chile
Once back in Chile, President Juan Esteban MonteroJuan Esteban Montero
Juan Esteban Montero Rodríguez was a Chilean political figure. He served twice as president of Chile between 1931 and 1932.-Early life:...
reincorporated him to the Army and on March 17, 1932 promoted him to Air Commodore and named him Air Force Commander-in-chief. Still, Grove continued conspiring against Montero, and toppled him on June 4, 1932 through a military coup. He then proceeded to create the Socialist Republic of Chile
Socialist Republic of Chile
Socialist Republic of Chile was a short-lived political entity in Chile, that was proclaimed by the Government Junta that took over that year.-Background:...
. This republic lasted only 12 days.
The Socialist republic was headed by a Government Junta
Government Junta of Chile (1932)
Government Junta of Chile , was a political structure established during the anarchy that followed the resignation of President Carlos Ibáñez del Campo...
composed of General Arturo Puga
Arturo Puga
General Arturo Puga Osorio , was a Chilean military officer and Chairman of Government Junta in 1932.On June 4, 1932 he became Chairman of the Government Junta that was established after the resignation of President Juan Esteban Montero...
, Carlos Dávila
Carlos Dávila
Carlos Gregorio Dávila Espinoza , was a Chilean political figure, Chairman of Government Junta of Chile in 1932, and Secretary General of the Organization of American States from 1954 until his death in 1955.-Early life:...
and Eugenio Matte. He became Defense minister, a position he held from June 5 to June 16, 1932.
In that short time, the Socialist republic only managed to approve some social measures, such as the obligation of the Central Bank to grant credits to small mining and agricultural concerns and the restitution of the pawned articles at the Government Pawn to its owners. They also established diplomatic relations with Soviet Russia.
The Government Junta was in turn toppled by Carlos Dávila
Carlos Dávila
Carlos Gregorio Dávila Espinoza , was a Chilean political figure, Chairman of Government Junta of Chile in 1932, and Secretary General of the Organization of American States from 1954 until his death in 1955.-Early life:...
on June 16, 1932, who in turn remained in power for only one hundred days. In the meantime Grove was once again sent exiled to Easter Island
Easter Island
Easter Island is a Polynesian island in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian triangle. A special territory of Chile that was annexed in 1888, Easter Island is famous for its 887 extant monumental statues, called moai, created by the early Rapanui people...
.
Presidential candidate
During the presidential electionsChilean presidential election, 1932
The Chilean presidential election of 1932 was held on October 30 of that year between:* Former President Arturo Alessandri for the Liberal Party.* Former Head of State Marmaduque Grove for the Socialist Party....
of 1932, he was nominated candidate by the Socialist forces. He was able to return from his exile in Easter Island
Easter Island
Easter Island is a Polynesian island in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian triangle. A special territory of Chile that was annexed in 1888, Easter Island is famous for its 887 extant monumental statues, called moai, created by the early Rapanui people...
only two days before the election, but still managed to come in second, behind Arturo Alessandri
Arturo Alessandri
Arturo Fortunato Alessandri Palma was a Chilean political figure and reformer, who served twice as the President of Chile, first between 1920 and 1924, and then again in 1925, and finally from 1932 until 1938....
, with a 17.7 % of the vote.
Later life
On April 19, 1933, together with Oscar Schnake, Salvador AllendeSalvador Allende
Salvador Allende Gossens was a Chilean physician and politician who is generally considered the first democratically elected Marxist to become president of a country in Latin America....
, and Carlos Alberto Martínez, Grove founded the Socialist Party of Chile
Socialist Party of Chile
The Socialist Party of Chile is a political party, that is part of the center-left Coalition of Parties for Democracy coalition. Its historical leader was the late President of Chile Salvador Allende Gossens, who was deposed by General Pinochet in 1973...
. He became General Secretary of that party in 1938 and president of the Popular Front
Popular Front (Chile)
The Popular Front in Chile was an electoral and political left-wing coalition from 1937 to February 1941, during the Presidential Republic Era...
coalition that won the presidential election
Chilean presidential election, 1938
A presidential election was held in Chile on October 25, 1938.-Results:* Withdrew candidacy before election and gave his support to Aguirre.Source:...
that same year with the candidate Pedro Aguirre Cerda
Pedro Aguirre Cerda
Pedro Aguirre Cerda was a Chilean political figure. A member of the Radical Party, he was chosen as the Popular Front's candidate for the 1938 presidential election, and was triumphally elected. He governed Chile until his death in 1941...
.
Grove was elected Senator on May 9, 1934, in a by-election held to replace deceased Senator Eugenio Matte Hurtado, who had died in January of that year. His slogan was, "From the jail to the Senate", because he had to campaign from jail, where he was kept for conspiring against President Alessandri. As senator he proposed the first plan of Agrarian Reform in Chile in 1939. His slogan this time was, "Neither land without men nor men without land" (Ni tierra sin hombres, ni hombres sin tierra). He was reelected as a Senator in 1941. He was defeated and retired from the Senate in 1949.
Commodore Grove died at the age of 75 on May 15, 1954, at Santiago, Chile
Santiago, Chile
Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...
.