Narciso Campero
Encyclopedia
President of Bolivia
The President of Bolivia is head of state and head of government of Bolivia. According to the current Constitution, the president is elected by popular vote to a five year term, renewable once...
from 1880 to 1884. The Narciso Campero Province
Narciso Campero Province
Narciso Campero is a province in the Cochabamba Department, Bolivia. Its capital is Aiquile. Aiquile lies on one transportation route between the citys of Cochabamba, Sucre and Santa Cruz.- Subdivision :...
was named after him.
The offspring of a rich land-owning family from Tarija
Tarija, Bolivia
Tarija or San Bernardo de la Frontera de Tarixa is a city in southern Bolivia. Founded in 1574, Tarija is both the capital and largest city within the Tarija Department, with an airport offering regular service to primary Bolivian cities, as well as a regional bus terminal with domestic and...
, he was educated at Chuquisaca's St. Francis Xavier University but nonetheless chose a military career, inspired by the heroes of the lengthy wars of South American independence. Considered an officer of unimpeacheable credentials, Campero fought as a young man in the battles of the Confederation (1836–39) and at Ingavi (1841) against Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
. He was a graduate of the prestigious St. Cyr military academy in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, but as a supporter of José Ballivián
José Ballivián
José Ballivián was a Bolivian general during the Peruvian-Bolivian War and the 11th president of Bolivia from September 27, 1841 to December 23, 1847.-Biography:...
chose to retire from the army and remained in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
during the Belzu era (beginning in 1847) as a sign of disgust with the period the historian Alcides Arguedas
Alcides Arguedas
Alcides Arguedas was a Bolivian writer and historian.-Background and political and diplomatic roles:He was born in La Paz, where he studied law and political science. He later studied sociology in Paris and represented his country at several diplomatic missions in both Europe and America...
has referred to as the apogee of "the savage caudillos."
Although retired from politics and official affairs, Campero did not hesitate to enlist his services when the War of the Pacific
War of the Pacific
The War of the Pacific took place in western South America from 1879 through 1883. Chile fought against Bolivia and Peru. Despite cooperation among the three nations in the war against Spain, disputes soon arose over the mineral-rich Peruvian provinces of Tarapaca, Tacna, and Arica, and the...
against 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...
ignited in February 1879. He was then in his mid-60s. Unfortunately, it was his fate to command the Bolivian 5th Division in a number of catastrophic battles, among the last skirmishes fought by Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
before withdrawing to the highlands behind the Andes in early 1880. Campero's patriotism, commitment, and willingness to sacrifice despite his advanced years were nonetheless noted, and the emergency Congress of Notables convened in La Paz
La Paz
Nuestra Señora de La Paz is the administrative capital of Bolivia, as well as the departmental capital of the La Paz Department, and the second largest city in the country after Santa Cruz de la Sierra...
in December of that fateful year resolved to tap him for the difficult post of Constitutional President following Hilarión Daza
Hilarión Daza
Hilarión Daza Groselle was President of Bolivia from 1876 to 1879.A career military officer and native of Sucre, Daza came to power on May 4, 1876 in a coup against the constitutional president Tomás Frías. He was supported by much of the country's financial elite because of his avowal to maintain...
's overthrow.
It was thus that the 66-year old General Campero took control of his country's fate in early 1880 at the most critical juncture in its history, it having essentially lost the War of the Pacific
War of the Pacific
The War of the Pacific took place in western South America from 1879 through 1883. Chile fought against Bolivia and Peru. Despite cooperation among the three nations in the war against Spain, disputes soon arose over the mineral-rich Peruvian provinces of Tarapaca, Tacna, and Arica, and the...
, surrendered its entire access to the Pacific to 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...
, and abandoned its ally Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
to fight the rest of the war alone. His Congress-designated vice-president was the Conservative
Conservative Party (Bolivia)
The Conservative Party was one of two major political parties in Bolivia in the late 19th century. The other was the Liberal Party. Between 1880 and 1899, all of the Presidents of Bolivia were members of the Conservative Party....
leader Aniceto Arce
Aniceto Arce
Aniceto Arce Ruiz was President of Bolivia from 1888 until 1892. The Aniceto Arce Province is named after him. Arce was a native of Tarija but was educated as a lawyer and resided most of his life in Sucre, where he became one of the country's foremost silver-mining tycoons...
. Although Campero was given a full four-year term, much remained to be done, not least of which was the task of repairing the torn institutional and economic fabric of the nation, restoring confidence, writing a new constitution, founding a democratic republic based strictly upon the rule of law, and perhaps concluding some sort of ceasefire or armistice with 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...
, should the war, as expected, come to an end on the Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
front. Despite the poignant grimness of the moment, it seemed a propitious one to establish a new foundation in the country. It was ironic that the task of sounding the death knell to the era of rampant military intervention in politics fell to a retired military man, but Congress' choice of Campero for this job proved to be an inspired one.
The respected Campero had the support of the two largest political parties of the time, the Liberals of Eliodoro Camacho
Eliodoro Camacho
Eliodoro Camacho was a noted Bolivian politician, party leader, and presidential candidate. The Eliodoro Camacho Province is named after him. Camacho was born in Inquisivi, Department of La Paz, but grew up in Cochabamba...
and the Conservatives
Conservative Party (Bolivia)
The Conservative Party was one of two major political parties in Bolivia in the late 19th century. The other was the Liberal Party. Between 1880 and 1899, all of the Presidents of Bolivia were members of the Conservative Party....
of Aniceto Arce
Aniceto Arce
Aniceto Arce Ruiz was President of Bolivia from 1888 until 1892. The Aniceto Arce Province is named after him. Arce was a native of Tarija but was educated as a lawyer and resided most of his life in Sucre, where he became one of the country's foremost silver-mining tycoons...
. A proponent of rearmament and reinsertion into the war against Chile with an eye to recovering the lost territories, Campero was opposed in this endeavor by his vice-president, the Conservative Arce. Arce was linked to Chilean monetary and financial interests and favored an "accommodation" with Santiago, essentially advocating the giving up of the Litoral in exchange for investment and perhaps a promise to obtain a port through previously Peruvian but now Chilean-occupied at Arica
Arica
Arica is a city in northern Chile. "Arica" may also refer to:Places* Arica and Parinacota Region, Chile* Arica Airport , Chile* Arica, Amazonas, town in Colombia* Rio Aricá-açu, tributary of the Cuiabá River south of Cuiabá, BrazilOther...
. Campero soon accused Arce of treason and exiled him precisely to 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...
. It was his foreign minister Daniel Nuñez del Prado
Daniel Nuñez del Prado
Dr. Daniel Nuñez del Prado was a revolutionary Bolivian doctor of medicine. His parents were Dr. Maria Jose Nuñez del Prado and Isabel del Valle. His brother, Eduardo Nuñez del Prado, was also a doctor of medicine....
who discovered the treason.
Although as president Campero tried to rule in an apolitical manner, he gravitated increasingly toward the Liberal party of Eliodoro Camacho
Eliodoro Camacho
Eliodoro Camacho was a noted Bolivian politician, party leader, and presidential candidate. The Eliodoro Camacho Province is named after him. Camacho was born in Inquisivi, Department of La Paz, but grew up in Cochabamba...
, joining it after he left office in 1884. Campero died in Sucre on December 11, 1896, and is best remembered as the founder of the most stable era of Bolivian politics, with regular elections and rare and brief coups. The status quo he helped create would last until the 1930s, although within the framework of a plutocratic and severely restricted version of democracy, in which only white or mestizo propertied elites could vote.