Manuel Gondra

Gondra died on 8 March 1927 in Asunción.

• Name — Manuel Gondra • Order — 21st • Office — President of Paraguay • Term Start — 15 August 1920 • Term End — 31 October 1921 • Office2 — Minister of Foreign Affairs of Paraguay • Predecessor2 — Eusebio Ayala • Successor2 — Eusebio Ayala • Term Start2 — 1 January 1913 • Term End2 — 23 January 1918 • Office3 — Minister of War and Navy of Paraguay • Term Start3 — 23 March 1912 • Term End3 — 1 January 1913 • Predecessor3 — Emiliano González Navero • Successor3 — General Patricio Alejandrino Escobar • Office4 — Minister of the Interior of Paraguay • Term Start4 — 4 July 1908 • Term End4 — 1 January 1909 • Predecessor4 — Manuel Benitez • Successor4 — Manuel Franco • Vice President — Félix Paiva • Predecessor — José Pedro Montero • Successor — Félix Paiva • Term Start1 — 25 November 1910 • Term End1 — 11 January 1911 • Vice President1 — Juan Bautista Gaona • Predecessor1 — Emiliano González Navero • Successor1 — Albino Jara • Birth Name — Manuel Gondra Pereira • Born — 1 January 1871 • Birthplace — Buenos Aires, Argentina • Died — 8 March 1927 • Place of death — Asunción, Paraguay • Spouse — Emilia Victoria Alfaro • Children — 4 • Party — Liberal Party • Occupation — Author, Journalist, Politician

Manuel Gondra was born on the 1 January 1871, Buenos Aires. Although he did well in school and was reportedly a good student, he chose to leave schooling, never achieving a diploma. Rather, he chose to be a self-taught scholar of many subjects, including the social sciences, history of the Americas, and geography. He received some success in this field. However, his career as an intellectual came to a pause when he joined the Revolution of 1904 on the side of the Liberals. After this, he became the Plenipotentiary ambassador to Brazil in 1905. His diligence would see him later be assigned as the Minister of the Interior, then Minister of War and Navy, and then Minister of Foreign Affairs of Paraguay. In 1917 he was also made ambassador to the United States, a position he held until his second term as president started.

Manuel Gondra's initial candidacy was widely supported by both intellectuals and the citizenry of Paraguay. He assumed office on 25 November 1910. As president of a Paraguay reeling from internal crises, Gondra was written by Arturo Bray as having an "abulic temperament, to the despair of his friends, which has cost the country so much blood." Gondra's presidency came to an end when Colonel Albino Jara launched a coup against him on 17 August 1911, despite sharing similar political agenda. This was a result of the collapsing liberal movement in Paraguay.

After much of the chaos following Jara's coup subsided, Manuel Gondra sought re-election. His campaign was met with victory, and he assumed office on 15 August 1920. However, this was not without its controversy. Immediately following, the supporters of the opposing candidate, schaereristas, and their leader Eduardo Schaerer (who Gondra formerly served under) erupted into violence, in what became the Paraguayan Civil War. In this emerging civil war, Eduardo Schaerer pressured the Interior Minister José Guggiari (a close ally) to resign, but Gondra resisted. For this pressure and lost power, he was forced into resignation on 31 October 1921. However, Gondra's disciples were to run the country after his resignation. The Gondrista faction of the party controlled government from 1921 to 1936.