Jorge Ubico

Jorge Ubico y Castañeda (November 10, 1878 - June 14, 1946) was President of Guatemala from February 14, 1931 to July 4, 1944. Ubico is widely considered the last of the Liberal authoritarian rulers in Latin America. Ubico held firm control over his country during his years as president. He extended his term more than once and was quick to employ censorship and the police in order to implement his policies. He initiated several domestic programs for his country, but offered only minimal financial support to see to their completion. He was a cold and often paranoid leader who was known to be quite testy and easily angered. Ubico felt that communism was immoral and criminal. He would attempt to install a close friend in his post when he was forced to resign, but the regime replacing him was short-lived in the end. As part of development and government reorganization, he installed "Ubiquistas" into key governmental positions. He focused on stimulating coffee exports and improved prices and also built an extensive network of roads and modernized local administrations, including health and school facilities. Among other positive social reforms he abolished debt slavery and peonage. Yet he ruled as a tyrant, harshly suppressing opposition through press censorship and police control.

Early life

Born to Arturo Ubico Urruela, a lawyer and politician of the Guatemalan liberal party, Jorge Ubico was sheltered for most of his childhood. He was privately tutored and attended school in Guatemala's most prestigious institutions as well as receiving further education abroad in the United States and Europe.

Guatemala

By 1897 Ubico received his commission into the Guatemalan army as second lieutenant, which was largely a reflection of his political ties. Here he established himself by rapidly rising through the ranks, and, after a military campaign against El Salvador, and the rank of colonel at the age of 28. A year later, he was made the governor (jefe politico) of the province of Alta Verapaz, followed four years later as governor of Retalhuleu. During his tenure, he oversaw improvements in public works, the school system, public health, and youth organizations. In 1918, he drained swamps, ordered fumigation and distributed free medicine to combat a yellow fever epidemic,, and won the praise of Major General William C. Gorgas, who had done the same in Panama. However, most of his reputation came from his harsh but effective punishment of banditry and smuggling across the Mexican border. He returned to Guatemala City in 1921 to participate in a coup that installed General José Orellana into presidency. Under Orellana he reached the rank of Secretary of War in 1922, but quit a year later. In 1926, after the death of President Orellana, Ubico ran unsuccessfully of president as the candidate of the Political Progressive Party. He temporarily retired to his farm until the next election.

President of Guatemala (1931-44)

In 1930, President Lazaro Chacon resigned after having a stroke. By that time, Guatemala was in the midst of the Great Depression and bankrupt. The Liberal Party joined with the Progressives to nominate Ubico as the successor, and although he was the only candidate on the ballot, he received 305,841 votes. In his inaugural address, he pledged a "march toward civilization." Once in office, he began a campaign of efficiency that included assuming dictatorial power.

Ubico admired Napoleon Bonaparte and preferred to have his photograph taken in his general's uniform. Although he was much taller than his hero, Ubico believed that he resembled Bonaparte, and his nickname was "the Little Napoleon of the Tropics." He preferred traveling by motorcycle on his frequent inspection tours of Guatemala's twenty-two departamentos.

As part of development and government reorganization, he installed "Ubiquistas" into key governmental positions. Ubico focused on stimulating coffee exports and improved prices. He built an extensive network of roads and modernized local administrations, including health and school facilities. Ubico also abolished debt slavery and peonage, and oversaw the Vagrancy law which issued identification cards to all Guatemalans for the purpose of enforcing employment.

His methods, however, were authoritarian. Ubico harshly suppressed opposition through press censorship and police control. He also engineered constitutional changes twice to extend his term as president. While his main focus was economic development, it only benefited the upper and land owning classes creating criticism from the middle class. He also stressed the importance of the military through the "educative mission of the barracks."

Ubico was a cold individual who preferred to be isolated with only a small circle of companions. His legendary temper created fear as he dealt with others in a sort of verbal fencing match rather than conversations. His suspicious nature made him addicted to work as he always had to be doing something. He was also a notorious penny-pincher seeking the least expensive means to complete tasks. Ubico was also an opponent of communism equating it with criminality and political opposition.

Tomás Borge described Ubico as "crazier than a half dozen opium smoking frogs." Ubico reportedly dressed his soldiers in 18th-century French Army uniforms. On his birthday, he would hang a large star in his palace. The star contained the number 5 on it because his first and last names each had 5 letters.

He also professed a concern for the Indian populace in Guatemala, extending facilities to improve their lifestyle. Under his regime the Guatemalan Indian underwent a legal revolution as they were free to move and seek employment. However, this freedom was an illusion as the improvements involved Paternalism and extension of government control. In a sense he merely transferred their dependency from landowners to the national government.

Adopting a pro-American stance to promote economic development and recovery from depression, under Ubico the United Fruit Company became the most important company in Guatemala. He considered Guatemala to be the United States closest ally in the Caribbean. The company received import duty and real estate tax exemptions from the government, and controlled more land than any other individual or group, along with the sole rail road, the electricity producing capabilities, and the port facilities at Puerto Barrios on the Atlantic coast.

While the regime passed through stages by 1939, it had outlived its time and from 1939-1944 was clearly in decline. The administration hung on to the early accomplishments for too long and failed to create new policies effectively losing momentum. The main reason for its downfall was continuismo as the population realized he would never voluntarily leave power. In its later years paranoia hit the president hard creating fear for his security. Ubico was forced to resign by a general strike against him that started in June of 1944. He installed his friend, General Juan Federico Ponce as his successor. The Ponce regime lasted for only three months, when a military coup overthrew the regime. Ubico fled to New Orleans, where he lived until his death on June 14, 1946.

Legacy

As president of Guatemala from 1931 to 1944, Ubico served as Latin America's final Liberal authoritarian ruler. "The Little Napoleon of the Tropics" idolized the real Napoleon and felt that he resembled his icon. As president, he improved the infrastructure of his country, fixing up and expanding roadways and providing more schools and health facilities for his people. He saw to the implementation of statewide ID cards in order to regulate Guatemalan employment and eradicated debt peonage. Ubico also focused on revamping the military.

Still, he was a cruel dictator with an explosive temper. He trusted only a select few, with whom he consulted privately. He was quick to employ censorship and police brutality to enforce his will and was often paranoid. Ubico guarded the funds that he had amassed and attempted to spend as little as possible to implement the improvements he initiated. He claimed to care about the indigenous population, providing them with more resources and the ability to move about freely in search of employment, but in reality they remained under firm control, not indebted to individual patron like before but instead to the government machine. Ubico attempted to ally with the U.S. and threw in a great deal of support for the United Fruit Company. He was forced to resign after a general strike.

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• Borge, Thomas. The Patient Impatience. Willimantic, CT: Curbstone Press, 1992 ISBN 9780915306978
• Current Biography: Who's News and Why 1941. New York: H.W. Wilson Co., 1941.
• Grieb, Kenneth J. Guatemalan Caudillo: The Regime of Jorge Ubico 1931-1944. Columbus: Ohio University Press, 1979 ISBN 9780821403792
• San Antonio Express. "Rare Distinction of Gen. Ubico's Election." February 12, 1931, 3.
• San Antonio Light. "Little Napoleon of the Tropics Dies." June 16, 1946, 1.

Further reading

• Samayoa Chinchilla, Carlos. El Dictador y Yo. Guatemala: Editorial Iberia, 1950.

External links

• (Spanish) Historia: Presidente Jorge Ubico Castaneda Retrieved December 11, 2007.
• Jorge Ubico Summary Retrieved December 11, 2007.

Preceded by: José María Reina Andrade (acting)

President of Guatemala 1931–1944

Succeeded by: Juan Federico Ponce Vaides

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