Roberto Marcelo Levingston
Brigadier General Roberto Marcelo Levingston | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Levingston in 1970 | |
| 36th President of Argentina | |
| In office 18 June 1970 – 23 March 1971 | |
| Vice President | Vacant |
| Preceded by | Juan Carlos Onganía |
| Succeeded by | Alejandro Agustín Lanusse |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 10 January 1920 San Luis, Argentina |
| Died | 17 June 2015 (aged 95) Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| Political party | Independent |
| Spouse | Betty Nelly Andrés |
| Children | 3 |
| Profession | Military |
| Signature | .jpg){kind=small} |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Argentina |
| Branch/service | Argentine Army |
| Years of service | 1938–1971 |
| Rank | Brigadier general |
| Commands | Argentine Army |
| Battles/wars | Argentine Revolution |
Roberto Marcelo Levingston Laborda (10 January 1920[1][2][3] – 17 June 2015) was an Argentine Army general who was the 36th President of Argentina from 1970 to 1971.[4][5] His presidency was marked by a protectionist economic policy amid the country's financial struggles, and the imposition of the death penalty against terrorists and kidnappers.
Early life and education
[edit]Levingston was born on 10 January 1920 in San Luis Province.[6] He was the son of Guillermo David Levingston Sierralta and Carmen Laborda Guiñazú.[7][8] After completing his secondary studies, Levingston attended the Colegio Militar de la Nación starting in 1938, where he graduated from in 1941.[6] He chose to pursue the branch of cavalry officer at the college, and upon graduating became a second lieutenant of cavalry.[9] In January 1948 he obtained the rank of captain after having previously been promoted to first lieutenant.[10]
Presidency
[edit]
Levingston's military expertise included intelligence and counterinsurgency, and he took the presidency of Argentina on 18 June 1970, in a military coup engineered by commander-in-chief Alejandro Lanusse that deposed Juan Carlos Onganía over his ineffective response to the Montoneros and other guerillas.[5] Lanusse later called Levingston's appointment as a "barbarity" while defending the deicision at the time, saying that "it was done so as to avoid what had been happening" under Onganía.[11]
His regime was marked by a protectionist economic policy that did little to overcome the inflation and recession that the country was undergoing at the time,[4] and by the imposition of the death penalty against terrorists and kidnappers.[5] In response to renewed anti-government rioting in Córdoba, the labor crisis under his leadership, and his attempt to dismiss Lanusse, he was deposed on 21 March 1971, by another military junta led by Lanusse.[4][5][12]
Death
[edit]He died on 17 June 2015, at the age of 95.[6] He is the longest-lived President of Argentina.[13]
Personal life
[edit]In 1943, Levingston married Betty Nelly Andrés and had two sons and one daughter.[2]
Cabinet
[edit]Levingston's cabinet underwent several changes during his brief presidency, with key ministerial positions experiencing turnover particularly in October 1970.
| Ministry | Minister | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Ministry of Interior | Eduardo Mac Loughlin
Arturo Cordón Aguirre |
18 June 1970 – 13 October 1970
15 October 1970 – 23 March 1971 |
| Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship | Luis María de Pablo Pardo | 18 June 1970 – 23 March 1971 |
| Ministry of Economy and Labor | Carlos Moyano Llerena | 18 June 1970 – 15 October 1970
26 October 1970 – 23 March 1971 |
| Ministry of Education | José Luis Cantini | 18 June 1970 – 23 March 1971 |
| Ministry of Social Welfare | Francisco Manrique
Amadeo Frúgoli |
18 June 1970 – 9 February 1971
10 February 1971 – 23 March 1971 |
| Ministry of Defense | José R. Cáceres Monié | 18 June 1970 – 23 March 1971 |
| Ministry of Justice | Jaime Perriaux | 18 June 1970 – 23 March 1971 |
| Ministry of Public Works and Services | Aldo Ferrer
Oscar Colombo |
18 June 1970 – 26 October 1970
26 October 1970 – 23 March 1971[14] |
References
[edit]- ^ Lentz, Harris M. (4 February 2014), Heads of States and Governments Since 1945, Routledge, ISBN 9781134264902, retrieved 13 October 2017 – via Google Books
- ^ a b The International Who's who: 1990-91, Europa Publications Limited, 13 October 1990, ISBN 9780946653584, retrieved 13 October 2017 – via Google Books
- ^ "Roberto Marcelo Levingston Laborda n. 10 Ene 1920 San Luis, San Luis, Argentina f. 17 Jun 2015 Buenos Aires, Argentina: Genealogía Familiar", Genealogiafamiliar.net, retrieved 13 October 2017
- ^ a b c Lewis, Daniel K. (2001), The History of Argentina, The Greenwood histories of the modern nations, Greenwood Publishing Group, pp. 134–135, ISBN 978-0-313-31256-4.
- ^ a b c d Keen, Benjamin; Haynes, Keith (2008), A History of Latin America (8th ed.), Cengage Learning, p. 374, ISBN 978-0-618-78318-2.
- ^ a b c "Murió Roberto Marcelo Levingston", La Nación (in Spanish), June 18, 2015
- ^ Genealogía (in Spanish). Genealogía. 1979. p. 36. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
- ^ Proceedings of the ... World Congress of Jewish Studies. World Union of Jewish Studies. 1990. p. 474. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
- ^ Hubeñak, Florencio F.; Hubeñak, Lilia A. Rodríguez de (1981). Quiénes gobiernan el mundo actual: biografías sintéticas de los dirigentes políticos de postguerra (in Spanish). Editorial Universitaria de Buenos Aires. p. 161. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
- ^ "General Complacencia ante el nombramiento de Levingston". ABC. 16 June 1970. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
- ^ "ALEJANDRO LANUSSE DIES AT 78". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
- ^ "Argentine Strongman Alejandro Augustin Lanusse". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
- ^ Félix V. Lonigro (9 March 2019). "Cincuentones, longevos o muy jóvenes: curiosidades de las edades de los presidentes argentinos" (in Spanish). Infobae.com. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
- ^ "Boletín Oficial de la República Argentina". www.boletinoficial.gob.ar. Retrieved 2025-08-06.
