Gabriel Gosálvez Tejada

Gabriel Gosálvez Tejada (15 November 1899 – 12 December 1957) was a Bolivian politician, journalist, economist, and diplomat. Throughout his political career, Gosálvez held various ministerial officers and diplomatic posts as a member of the United Socialist Party. When that party merged into the Republican Socialist Unity Party, Gosálvez was presented as its presidential candidate in the 1951 general election.

Early life Gabriel Gosálvez was born in the Yungas region of the La Paz Department on 15 November 1899. As a child, he moved to the capital La Paz where he studied at the National Institute of Commerce, later teaching there in 1921. During his time, Gosálvez developed the nickname Gabicho which he maintained for the rest of his life. He later entered the Higher University of San Andrés in 1911, graduating with a degree in Commercial and Financial Sciences on 24 February 1923.

In 1920, Gosálvez participated in the foundation of El Hombre Libre, a newspaper which voiced its support for radical elements of the Bolivian left-wing. His journalistic work continued with the foundation of the nationalist magazine Bolivia in 1922 with himself as director. In 1923 and 1924 he also joined in founding the daily La República and Fragua in La Paz. Gosálvez returns to the Government Palace accompanied by President Germán Busch, August 6, 1938.

Socialist politics The end of the Chaco War, which resulted in a disastrous loss of territory for Bolivia, led to wide-ranging discontent with the traditional conservative political order led by the Liberal and Republican (Socialist and Genuine) parties. In the midst of a surge in left-wing agitation, Gosálvez left the Socialist Republican Party and joined the leadership of the newly formed United Socialist Party. In May 1936, the PSU supported the coup d'état which toppled Tejada Sorzano and brought Colonel David Toro to power as the head of a civil-military junta.

Gosálvez joined the junta as Minister of National Defense from 17 May to 7 September 1936.

Diplomatic career Gosálvez then travelled to Rome where from 1939 to 1940 he served as the Bolivian Ambassador to the Holy See. Upon his return to Bolivia in 1940, he was appointed President of the Central Bank until 1941.

In 1943, Gosálvez returned to diplomacy when he accompanied President Enrique Peñaranda as Extraordinary Ambassador during Peñaranda's diplomatic tour of the Americas from 30 April to 5 July 1943. Peñaranda was overthrown on 20 December of that same year. When that occurred, the United Socialist Party split with supporters of the new President Gualberto Villarroel forming the Independent Socialist Party. When Villarroel was himself overthrown by a popular revolt in 1946, Gosálvez, who remained with the original PSU, joined with other conservative political parties in the formation of Republican Socialist Unity Party on 10 November 1946. thumb That same year, Gosálvez was elected President of the National Chamber of Commerce. In 1947, the newly elected Enrique Hertzog of the PURS appointed Gosálvez Ambassador to Argentina, a position he exercised from 1947 to 1950. He was tasked with formalising commercial agreements and realizing a railway project. Nevertheless, as no candidate reached an outright majority of the popular vote, the decision to elect the president was ultimately up to the National Congress to choose between the top three contenders. Given that no faction other than the MNR itself was willing to back Paz Estenssoro, the congressional ballot favored Gosálvez. It is perhaps surprising, then, that Gosálvez chose to withdraw his name from consideration, the second time in a row a second place candidate would do so after Luis Fernando Guachalla in 1947. Despite this, President Mamerto Urriolagoitía, unwilling to hand power to Paz Estenssoro, enacted a self-coup, resigning and handing power to a military junta under Hugo Ballivián who annulled the election results.

The National Revolution which occurred the following year deposed Ballivián and brought Paz Estenssoro to power. Many leaders and members of the traditional parties, including Gosálvez, were forced into exile. Gabriel Gosálvez fled to Santiago, Chile where he died in exile on 12 December 1957 at age 58. His remains were repatriated to Bolivia ten years later on 7 April 1967 and buried the following day. The event was attended by then Foreign Minister Alberto Crespo Gutiérrez, Luis Fernando Guachalla, Vice President Luis Adolfo Siles Salinas, and President René Barrientos himself.