Bernardino Caballero

Juan Bernardino Caballero de Añasco y Melgarejo (20 May 1839, Ybycuí, Paraguay – 26 February 1912, Asunción) was a Paraguayan War hero, the President of Paraguay from 1880 until 1886 and founder of the Colorado Party. He was the leading political figure in Paraguay from early-post-war period until the Liberal revolution of 1904.

Born in Ybycuí he was a descendant from Spanish nobility, the son of Jose Ramón Caballero de Anazco (a descendant from Túpac Huallpa through Inca Garcilaso de la Vega) and his wife Melchora Inés Melgarejo y Genés. Married twice, to María de la Concepción Díaz de Bedoya and to Julia Álvarez. From the first marriage he had two children, Ramon Caballero de Bedoya, married to Martha Cahen, and had issue, and Melchora Caballero de Bedoya, married to her distant cousin Carlos Francisco Saguier Pereira. Outside of his marriages he had a further 90 children, all formally recognized by him, and thus today he has myriad descendants.

Caballero joined the Paraguayan Army in 1864 and fought in the Paraguayan War. He participated in the Mato Grosso Campaign. Later he became the assistant of President Francisco Solano López in Humaitá and remaining loyal, rose through the ranks. He became an increasingly important leader of rearguard actions, eventually becoming a cavalry general. Caballero was the greatest living war hero, who was captured by Brazilians on April 8, 1870 near the Apa river after the Battle of Cerro Corá and released in May 1871. During his arrest he became friendly with Brazilians and their political and military support was instrumental later, during his political career.

Caballero returned to Asuncion and become involved in the politics, joining the Lopez loyalist faction led by Cándido Bareiro. He was one of the leaders of March and June 1873 revolts and January 1874 revolt against the politically powerful Benigno Ferreira who was forced to go into exile in February 1874. Because of his growing influence, Caballero was made Interior minister in the government of Salvador Jovellanos. In November 1874 Caballero was appointed Minister of Justice, Worship and Education under the new President Juan Bautista Gill. Together with Vice President Higinio Uriarte he was sent to London in 1874-75 to clarify the situation with financial loans.

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