# Guillermo Billinghurst

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President of Peru from 1912 to 1914

This article is about the Peruvian president. For other uses, see [Billinghurst (disambiguation)](/source/Billinghurst_(disambiguation)).

In this [Hispanic American name](/source/Hispanic_American_name), the first or paternal [surname](/source/Surname) is *Billinghurst* and the second or maternal family name is *Angulo*.

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Guillermo Billinghurst 37th President of Peru In office 24 September 1912 – 4 February 1914 Prime Minister Elías Malpartida Enrique Varela Vidaurre Federico Luna y Peralta Aurelio Sousa Matute Vice President Roberto Leguía Miguel Echenique Preceded by Augusto B. Leguía Succeeded by Óscar R. Benavides President of the Senate In office 28 July 1896 – 28 July 1897 Preceded by Manuel Pablo Olaechea Succeeded by Manuel Candamo First Vice President of Peru In office 8 September 1895 – 8 September 1899 President Nicolás de Piérola Preceded by Vacant (Last held by César Canevaro in 1895) Succeeded by Isaac Alzamora Senator from Tacna In office 28 July 1895 – 28 July 1899 Preceded by Manuel Pablo Olaechea Succeeded by Manuel Candamo Member of the Chamber of Deputies In office 28 July 1878 – 28 July 1880 Constituency Tarapacá Province Personal details Born Guillermo Enrique Billinghurst Angulo (1851-07-27)27 July 1851 Arica, Peru Died 28 June 1915(1915-06-28) (aged 63) Iquique, Chile Party Democratic Party of Peru Relatives Susana Ferrari Billinghurst (cousin) Profession Entrepreneur

**Guillermo Enrique Billinghurst Angulo** (27 July 1851 – 28 June 1915) was a [Peruvian](/source/Peru) politician who served as the 37th President of Peru from 1912 until his overthrow in 1914.

Billinghurst was one of the leaders of the Democratic Party (El Partido Demócrata), whose members primarily representatives of the national bourgeoisie and middle-class in the south of the country, and oriented toward the domestic market. They were opposed by the Civilistas, whose interests were directly or indirectly linked to foreign capital and were typically oriented to the foreign (export) of raw-material commodities. During his presidency, Billinghurst became embroiled in an increasingly bitter series of conflicts with [Congress](/source/Congress_of_the_Republic_of_Peru).

A liberal, he proposed and attempted to pass advanced social legislation in favour of the working classes. This was blocked by the conservative and oligarchic factions in the Peruvian Congress. To get around them, Billinghurst attempted to call fresh elections, which prompted these same Conservative factions to call upon the Peruvian military, led by [Óscar R. Benavides](/source/%C3%93scar_R._Benavides), to carry out a [coup d'état](/source/1914_Peruvian_coup_d'%C3%A9tat). As a result of the coup, which resulted in Benavides becoming President, Billinghurst was sent into exile in [Chile](/source/Chile) where he died shortly thereafter.

## Early life

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Billinghurst was born into a wealthy family of English origin, and raised in comfortable circumstances. An Anglo-Peruvian, Billinghurst's surname is a locational name; [Billingshurst](/source/Billingshurst) is a small town and civil parish in [Sussex](/source/Sussex). He was part of the [Civilista](/source/Civilista_Party) group, the political group whose members were considered the architects of unprecedented political stability and economic growth in the country, but who also set in motion profound social changes that would, in time, alter the political panorama of Peru.

During his presidency, Billinghurst became embroiled in an increasingly bitter series of conflicts with [Congress](/source/Congress_of_the_Republic_of_Peru), ranging from proposed advanced social legislation to the settlement of the [Tacna-Arica dispute](/source/Tacna-Arica_compromise). This provoked a military uprising organised by civilian opponents to his regime, who used the military to carry out a coup. As a result of the uprising, Billinghurst was sent into exile in Chile, where he died shortly thereafter.

As [First Vice President of Peru](/source/Vice_President_of_Peru) under the [Piérola](/source/Nicol%C3%A1s_de_Pi%C3%A9rola) Administration (1895–1899),[1] Billinghurst was involved in several attempts to solve the [Tacna and Arica](/source/Tacna-Arica_compromise) territorial dispute with [Chile](/source/Chile). On 9 April 1898, a memorandum was subscribed between the Chilean Minister of Foreign Affairs Raimundo Silva Cruz and Billinghurst. It established that before a plebiscite could be held between both countries, an arbitrage would first be requested to the [Queen of Spain](/source/Monarchy_of_Spain), [María Cristina de Habsburgo-Lorena](/source/Maria_Christina_of_Austria) (1858–1929) to determine the conditions of the vote. Subsequent events led the *Protocol of Billinghurst-Latorre* not being ratified by the [Chilean Chamber of Deputies](/source/Chamber_of_Deputies_of_Chile). A direct result of this setback was the breakdown of diplomatic relations between Peru and Chile in 1901.

Billinghurst served as [President of the Senate](/source/President_of_the_Congress_of_Peru) from 1896 to 1897.[2]

## 1912 elections

The elections of 1912 were the most passionate ones of the so-called *[Aristocratic Republic](/source/Aristocratic_Republic_(Peru))* (a term coined by Peruvians referring to those in power that were mostly from the social elite of the country). The *[Civilista Party](/source/Civilista_Party)* rallied behind the candidacy of [Antero Aspíllaga](/source/%C3%81ntero_Asp%C3%ADllaga), one of the most prominent and conservative members of the Party. His opponents accused him of being a Chilean-born Peruvian unfit for office.

The Civilistas, however, were unable to manage the new social forces that their policies unleashed. This first became apparent in 1912 when the millionaire businessman Guillermo Billinghurst-–the reform-minded, populist former mayor of [Lima](/source/Lima)-–was able to organize a general strike to block the election of the official Civilista presidential candidate and force his own election by Congress.[3]

## Presidency

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One of the main accomplishments of the Billinghurst administration was the establishment of important legislation that guaranteed the [eight-hour day](/source/Eight-hour_day) in Peru. When Congress opened [impeachment](/source/Impeachment) hearings against Billinghurst in 1914, he threatened to arm the workers and forcibly dissolve Congress.

Billinghurst was overthrown on 4 February 1914, in a [military coup](/source/1914_Peruvian_coup_d'%C3%A9tat) headed by colonel [Oscar R. Benavides](/source/Oscar_R._Benavides), [Jorge Prado](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jorge_Prado_Ugarteche&action=edit&redlink=1) [[es](https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jorge_Prado_Ugarteche)], [Manuel Prado](/source/Manuel_Prado_Ugarteche), and conservative members of the [Civilista Party](/source/Civilista_Party). Benavides became president.[4]

Later in exile, Billinghurst declared: *"The young Prado, in an extense and pathetic speech, gave me the details and motives behind the coup: All of them (the mutineerered) recognised my patriotism, integrity and my capability to handle the government. However, the only and most serious mistake that I made was the course that my internal politics was doing to the country and, finally, I think the sons of former president Prado must «clean his fathers memory»."*

## See also

- [List of presidents of Peru](/source/List_of_presidents_of_Peru)

- [Politics of Peru](/source/Politics_of_Peru)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-institution_1-0)** Abog. Freddy Ronald Centurión González. ["LA INSTITUCIÓN DE LA VICEPRESIDENCIA DE LA REPÚBLICA EN LA CONSTITUCIÓN PERUANA"](https://web.archive.org/web/20191019194834/http://repositorio.unprg.edu.pe/bitstream/handle/UNPRG/3549/BC-TES-TMP-2356.pdf) (PDF). Archived from [the original](http://repositorio.unprg.edu.pe/bitstream/handle/UNPRG/3549/BC-TES-TMP-2356.pdf) (PDF) on 19 October 2019. Retrieved 19 October 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Guillermo Eduardo Billinghurst Angulo profile"](http://www.congreso.gob.pe/participacion/museo/congreso/presidentes/Guillermo_billinghurst). *congreso.gob.pe*. Retrieved 17 April 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Peru's Ex-President Dies"](https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1915/06/29/104649035.pdf) (PDF). *The New York Times*. 29 June 1915.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-:02_4-0)** Madrid, Raúl L. (2025). [*The Birth of Democracy in South America*](https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/birth-of-democracy-in-south-america/A8EA21756D12D27A6171337F2BF3F415). Cambridge University Press. p. 238. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-009-63381-9](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-009-63381-9).

## External links

- [Works by or about Guillermo Billinghurst](https://archive.org/search.php?query=%28%28subject%3A%22Billinghurst%2C%20Guillermo%22%20OR%20subject%3A%22Guillermo%20Billinghurst%22%20OR%20creator%3A%22Billinghurst%2C%20Guillermo%22%20OR%20creator%3A%22Guillermo%20Billinghurst%22%20OR%20creator%3A%22Billinghurst%2C%20G%2E%22%20OR%20title%3A%22Guillermo%20Billinghurst%22%20OR%20description%3A%22Billinghurst%2C%20Guillermo%22%20OR%20description%3A%22Guillermo%20Billinghurst%22%29%20OR%20%28%221851-1915%22%20AND%20Billinghurst%29%29%20AND%20%28-mediatype:software%29) at the [Internet Archive](/source/Internet_Archive)

Political offices Preceded by César Canevaro First Vice President of Peru 1895–1899 Succeeded by Isaac Alzamora Preceded by Federico Elguera Mayor of Lima 1909–1912 Succeeded by Nicanor Carmona Preceded by Augusto B. Leguía President of Peru 1912–1914 Succeeded by Oscar R. Benavides

v t e President of Peru List San Martín La Mar Bernardo de Tagle Riva Agüero Valdivieso y Prada Bernardo de Tagle Bolívar Santa Cruz La Mar Gutiérrez de la Fuente Gamarra Orbegoso Bermúdez Salaverry Santa Cruz Gamarra Menéndez Torrico Vidal Figuerola Vivanco Nieto Castilla Elías Figuerola Menéndez Castilla Echenique Castilla San Román P. Diez Canseco Pezet Prado Pezet P. Diez Canseco Prado P. Diez Canseco Balta Gutiérrez Zevallos Pardo Prado Piérola García Calderón Montero Iglesias Arenas Cáceres Morales Bermúdez Borgoño Cáceres Candamo Piérola Romaña Candamo S. Calderón Pardo y Barreda Leguía Billinghurst Benavides Pardo y Barreda Leguía Ponce Sánchez Cerro Elías Arias Jiménez Samanez Ocampo Sánchez Cerro Benavides Prado Ugarteche Bustamante y Rivero Odría Noriega Odría Prado Ugarteche Pérez Godoy Lindley Belaúnde Terry Velasco Morales-Bermúdez Belaúnde Terry García A. Fujimori Paniagua Toledo García Humala Kuczynski Vizcarra Merino Sagasti Castillo Boluarte Jerí Balcázar K. Fujimori (elect)

v t e Mayors of Lima Echenique Salinas Torrico Boza Elguera Billinghurst Carmona Malpartida Miró Diez Canseco Ezpinoza Mujica Rada Dasso Albizuri Eguiguren García Bedoya Gallo Dibós Dammert Gallo Benavides Gallo Martínez Dibós Dammert Larco García Ribeyro Fernandini Bedoya Dibós Chappuis Alzamora Cavero Falconí Carrión Pierantoni Orrego Barrantes Del Castillo Belmont Andrade Castañeda Parra Villarán Muñoz Romero López Aliaga

Authority control databases International ISNI VIAF GND FAST WorldCat National United States Other IdRef Open Library Yale LUX

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Guillermo Billinghurst](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guillermo_Billinghurst) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guillermo_Billinghurst?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.