Raúl Ricardo Alfonsín (1927 - 2009)

Born 12 Mar 1927 in Chascomús, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Ancestors

Husband of María Lorenza Barreneche — married 4 Feb 1949 in Chascomús, Chascomús, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Died 31 Mar 2009 at age 82 in Buenos Aires, Argentina

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Biography

Raúl Alfonsín is Notable.

Raúl Alfonsín was born in Argentina

Often referred to "The Father of Modern Argentine Democracy," Raúl Alfonsín was elected president of Argentina in 1983, the nation's first civilian president following eight years of military rule.

Childhood and Youth

Raúl was born 12 Mar 1927, in Chascomús, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. He was the son of Serafín Raúl Alfonsín Ochoa and Ana Maria Foulkes Iseas. His father was of Galician and German descent, and his mother was the daughter of Welsh immigrant Ricardo Foulkes and Falkland Islander María Elena Ford

As a boy, Raúl attended the Liceo Militar General San Martin (a military academy). Afterwards, he began his studies of law at the National University of La Plata before graduating from the University of Buenos Aires at age 23. He then founded the newspaper El Imparcial in his native town of Chascomús.

Marriage and Family

Raúl married María Lorenza Barreneche, whom he met in the 1940s at a masquerade ball, in 1949. They moved to Mendoza, La Plata, and returned to Chascomús. They had six sons, one of whom - Ricardo Alfonsín - would also follow a political career.

Political Career

In 1946, he joined the Radical Civic Union (UCR) in 1946 and subsequently served for a decade in provincial politics. in 1958, he was elected a deputy in the legislature of the Buenos Aires province in 1958, and was elected to the National Congress in 1963. He opposed both sides of the Dirty War, and during the National Reorganization Process, he filed several writs of Habeas corpus, requesting the freedom of victims of forced disappearances. He also opposed the actions of both sides in the Falklands War as well. He became the leader of the UCR after Balbín's death and was the Radical candidate for the presidency in the 1983 elections, which he won.

Raúl ran unsuccessfully for the UCR nomination in the 1973 presidential election, which was won by a candidate from the rival Peronist party who was later overthrown by the military (1976). In response to human rights abuses perpetrated by state security forces during the ensuing regime, Raúl wrote La cuestión Argentina (The Argentine Question) (1981) and cofounded the Permanent Assembly for Human Rights. After the United Kingdom defeated Argentina in the Falkland Islands War (1982), the discredited military allowed a freely contested presidential election in which Raúl, as the UCR candidate, defeated the Peronist contender (1983).

Although his presidency was plagued by high inflation, severe national debt, labour disputes, and a discontented military, Raúl remained committed to democracy. He prosecuted members of the armed forces and former high-ranking political officials for the human rights abuses of the late 1970s, and attempted to stabilize the economy by introducing the Austral Plan (1985), which met with limited success. But under increased pressure from the military, Raúl pardoned most convicted officers and by the last year of his term, Argentina’s economy was again in crisis. He resigned six months before his term ended.

After leaving office, Raúl remained an influential figure in national politics and in the affairs of the UCR. He established the Argentine Foundation for the Freedom of Information, and served as a member of the South American Peace Commission, and as vice president of Socialist International, In 2001 Raúl was elected senator for Buenos Aires province, but resigned after just one year in order to focus on rebuilding the UCR, which had lost considerable strength after the government of Fernando de la Rúa fell in 2001.

Death and Legacy

A bust of Raúl Alfonsín was inaugurated at the presidential palace, commonly known as Casa Rosada (“Pink House”), in Buenos Aires in 2008.

Raúl died 31 Mar 2009, at his home in Buenos Aires, having been diagnosed with lung cancer a year prior. He was 82 years old.

Upon word of his death, the streets around his home filled with hundreds of people, who began a candlelight vigil. The government of Argentina ordered three days of national mourning. His body was then displayed in the Blue Hall of Congress, where a ceremony was attended by almost a thousand people, four former presidents, all the members of the Supreme Court of Argentina, mayor Mauricio Macri, governor Daniel Scioli, the president of Uruguay, and several other politicians. The coffin was later moved to La Recoleta Cemetery, where he was laid to rest among the graves of other important historical figures of the UCR.

At the international level, Perú set a day of national mourning, and Paraguay set three days. The governments of Brazil, Chile, Colombia, France, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Spain, Uruguay and the United States sent messages of condolence.[77] In addition to Tabaré Vázquez, Julio María Sanguinetti of Uruguay, and Fernando Henrique Cardoso of Brazil attended the ceremony

Sources

See also:

• Wikipedia: Raúl Alfonsín
• Wikidata: Item Q193062, en:Wikipedia
• Memorial: Find a Grave (has image)
  Find A Grave: Memorial #35397631 (accessed 28 August 2022)
  Memorial page for Dr Raúl Ricardo Alfonsín Famous memorial (12 Mar 1927-31 Mar 2009), citing Cementerio de la Recoleta, Buenos Aires, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Capital Federal, Argentina; Maintained by Find a Grave.
• Cementerio de la Recoleta, Buenos Aires. Mausoleo Dr. Raul Ricardo Alfonsin. Fotografiada por Vicki Blanco

Acknowledgements

This profile has been contributed to by the members of the WikiTree 15 Nations Global Tour of 2023