Óscar R. Benavides
President of Peru (1876-1945)
Óscar Raymundo Benavides Larrea (March 15, 1876 – July 2, 1945) was a Peruvian field marshal, diplomat, and politician who served as the 38th (via a coup d'état) and 42nd President of Peru, with his latter term (1933–1939) being a period of authoritarianism.
In 1911, he commanded Peruvian forces in the Battle of La Pedrera against Colombia where Peru was victorious. Later, during his second presidency, he annulled the 1936 Peruvian general election, where his favored candidate Jorge Prado y Ugarteche appeared to be losing, and subsequently stayed on as president.
Early life
He was born in Lima on March 15, 1876, son of Miguel Benavides y Gallegos, Sergeant Major of the National Guard, and Erfilia Larrea, Peruvian socialite. After attending the College of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Lima, Benavides entered the Military School of Lima and in 1894 the Dos de Mayo Artillery Brigade. In 1901, he was promoted to captain. In 1906, at age 30, he graduated with top grades as Sergeant Major at the Military Academy in Lima, directed by the French Military Mission. Benavides went to France to complete his military training, after which the French Republic distinguished him with the Cross of the Legion of Honor.
Military career
Caquetá River campaign
Upon returning to Peru in December 1910, Benavides was designated commanding officer of Infantry Battalion N° 9, garrisoned in Chiclayo, on the Northern Pacific Coast of Peru. In February 1911, the Peruvian Government ordered Benavides to lead Battalion Nº 9 to the Northeastern border with Colombia in the Peruvian Amazon.
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