JOSÉ MARÍA VELASCO IBARRA: BIOGRAPHY AND WORKS - HISTORY - 2025

José María Velasco Ibarra was an Ecuadorian politician who held the presidency of his country on five different occasions. Ibarra was born in Quito in 1893 and was one of the great protagonists of public life in Ecuador throughout the 20th century. Velasco Ibarra received his doctorate in Jurisprudence before beginning his career in politics.

His journalistic collaborations in El Comercio also stood out, as well as the books he published throughout his life. His first presidential term began in 1934, having previously held other positions such as President of Congress. That first term only lasted a year, as he was overthrown by a military coup.

From left to right: Salvador Allende and José María Velasco Ibarra

This circumstance was something that was repeated in the rest of the occasions in which he was elected president. In only one occasion he managed to complete the legislature, being overthrown in the rest. Furthermore, in several of these periods his presidency led to a dictatorship established by himself.

Biography

José María Velasco Ibarra was born in Quito (Ecuador) on March 19, 1893. His father, Alejandrino Velasco Sardá, was one of the first engineers to come out of the Polytechnic School of the city.

His mother, Delia Ibarra, was in charge of teaching him the first letters. When he was only 16 years old, he was orphaned.

Studies

The future president entered the San Luis Seminary as a fellow in 1905. After finishing his studies there, he continued his training at the San Gabriel School, where he obtained a Bachelor's degree.

Velasco Ibarra oriented his career towards the field of law and in 1922 he obtained a doctorate in Jurisprudence from the Central University. In that same institution he was working as a professor.

The politician married in 1923. Very soon he began to make a name for himself by his speeches at the Council of State and by the articles he began to publish in El Comercio de Quito.

Under the pseudonym Labriolle, he wrote numerous opinion columns in that media outlet. His brilliance led him to enter the Ecuadorian Language Academy.

In 1931 he moved to Paris to enter the Sorbonne University. There he specialized in International Law and Philosophy of Art. While still in the French capital he received the news that he had been elected as a deputy for the province of Pichincha.

Entry into national politics

Velasco Ibarra returned to Ecuador to join Congress in 1933. He had been elected from the conservative side and, in just a few months, he was appointed president of the Chamber of Deputies.

Fulfilling this function, he was one of the leaders of the opposition against the government led by Juan de Dios Martínez. The maneuvers against the president were very tough.

Velasco Ibarra accused him of having committed electoral fraud, although no evidence of this ever appeared. However, the pressure succeeded and the government resigned.

First presidential term

After the resignation of the president, general elections were called. Velasco Ibarra, who ran with the Conservatives, won the vote by a large margin. In this way, he assumed office on September 1, 1834.

The government plan of the now president promised to respect and increase public freedoms, offer a secular education - although without attacking the Catholic one - and reform the country's judicial structure. He also presented an economic plan in order to improve the Ecuadorian accounts.

From the outset he was met with opposition from the Chamber of Deputies. Neither economic nor international policy liked the congressmen and, in addition, Velasco earned the enmity of socialists, liberals and conservatives for different reasons.

At the head of the opposition was Arroyo de los Ríos, a liberal with great political support. The president's reaction was very authoritarian and ordered the arrest of several opponents.

Dissolution of Congress

Velasco took another step towards dictatorship and dissolved Congress, proclaiming himself the sole authority. This was followed by a wave of arrests of most opposition lawmakers.

The unleashed violence ended up provoking several popular uprisings. The army, a key piece in the development of events, sided with the people. Velasco Ibarra ended up being arrested and had to resign on August 20, 1935, going into exile shortly after.

He first traveled to Colombia and then to Argentina, which would become a second home for him. In Buenos Aires he worked as a professor at the university and published several works.

Second presidential term

Despite being outside the country, Velasco continued to be aware of the Ecuadorian reality. In 1939, when new elections were called, he again presented his candidacy, but was defeated by Arroyo del Río. This time the fraud seemed more evident and caused the Air Forces to carry out a failed rebellion.

Velasco had to continue in exile, in Colombia. The war against Peru in 1941 and the Treaty of Rio de Janeiro (which meant the loss of Ecuadorian territory) ended up being two of the most important reasons for the Revolution of May 28, 1944.

Velasco, called upon by various political forces and with great popular support, then returned to Ecuador.

On this occasion he ran for the elections with a coalition in which left-wing parties prevailed, being elected for the period 1944-1948. The first thing he did was call a Constituent Assembly to promulgate a new Constitution.

The government would not last long. Velasco tried to integrate all the sensibilities in his cabinet, but the discrepancies appeared very soon. Leftists and conservatives, each for their own reasons, were distancing themselves from the president, as did the liberals. On the other hand, inflation did not stop growing, provoking protests in the streets.

The story of his first term was almost reproduced. In March 1946 he alleged that a plot was taking place to overthrow him and, once again, he set himself up as a dictator. The repression against leftist groups was very violent, plunging the country into disorder.

A popular uprising caused that, in August 1947, his Defense Minister, Colonel Carlos Mancheno, forced him to resign and expelled him from the country.

Third presidential term

In the 1952 elections, held on June 1, Velasco Ibarra had the support of several progressive political forces and some dissident conservatives. His triumph was the widest of those registered up to that moment.

His government was quite fruitful, highlighting his educational reforms and the road plan that he promoted. It was the only presidential term that managed to end completely and, in fact, it retained great popular support.

Although he had hinted that it would be his last run, his supporters convinced him to run for office again in 1960.

Fourth presidential term

Velasco Ibarra again prevailed in the elections held on June 5, 1960. However, unlike the previous legislature, this time the instability meant that the government only lasted a little over a year.

On the one hand, the economy was doing quite badly, something that the big projects promoted by the president did not help to fix. On the other hand, serious cases of corruption appeared and his relationship with the vice president was clearly confrontational.

Again, Velasco was deposed by a coup on November 7, 1961, and returned to his exile in Buenos Aires.

Fifth presidential term

At the age of 75, Velasco Ibarra still had the courage to return to Ecuador and stand for new elections. It was in 1968 and he managed to be elected for the fifth time. On this occasion, he ruled with his former rivals from the Radical Liberal Party.

This period was marked by an economic crisis that many attribute to the policies developed by the government. The response on the part of the working-class left was very forceful, with numerous strikes and demonstrations that reached violence on numerous occasions.

Velasco's response was the same as he had taken on other occasions: dissolve Congress and proclaim himself dictator. He also repealed the Constitution and made the country abide by that of 1946.

Another factor that contributed to his downfall was his rapprochement with Cuba and Chile. In the middle of the Cold War, the meetings he had with Fidel Castro and Salvador Allende did not like the Americans or the conservative and military sectors of his country.

In 1972 an army coup, supported by the United States, overthrew Velasco Ibarra. As on previous occasions, he had to go into exile to Argentina.

Last years and death

The Ecuadorian politician lived in Buenos Aires for several years, giving lectures or dedicating himself to his written work. There was an occasion, at the end of the decade of the 70, in which they proposed to him to appear again to the elections by the Supreme Council of Government. Velasco's response was as follows:

"I am 84 years old, I have one kidney less, my memory and retentive imagination are failing. My age forces me to proceed austerely, renouncing fatuous vanity."

The fatal accident that his wife suffered in February 1979 caused Velasco to return to Ecuador. In his own words, he returned to "meditate and die." Only one month after his return, on March 30, 1979, he died in Quito at the age of 86.

Plays

In addition to his political career, which made him one of the most important (and controversial) protagonists in Ecuador, Velasco Ibarra was also recognized for his theoretical work, in which he dealt with political and legal issues. Critics highlight his erudition and depth of thought.

Among the most outstanding works are Democracy and constitutionalism (1929), American questions (1930), Conscience or barbarism (1936) and Aspects of constitutional law (1939). The latter is still used as a textbook in Argentine universities.

Other prominent Velasco titles are Hispanic American Political Expression, American Legal Experiences, Political Law Lessons, and International Law of the Future. Velasco's complete works were collected in a 15-volume edition.

References

1. Aviles Pino, Efrén. Velasco Ibarra Dr. José María. Obtained from encyclopediadelecuador.com
2. Biographies and Lives. José María Velasco Ibarra. Obtained from biografiasyvidas.com
3. In the classrooms. From child to president: Velasco Ibarra. Obtained from ultimasnoticias.ec
4. Treaster, Joseph. Velasco, ex-leader of Ecuador, 86, dies. Retrieved from nytimes.com
5. A&E Television Networks. José María Velasco Ibarra Biography. Retrieved from biography.com
6. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. José María Velasco Ibarra. Retrieved from britannica.com
7. INC. Ecuador – Its Problems and Prospect. Recovered from cia.gov
8. Pohlman, Haley AQ The Political Determinants of Presidential Stability: Comparative

   Analysis of Ecuadoran President Velasco Ibarra. Recovered from xavier.edu