Felipe Sapag
| Felipe Sapag | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Governor of Neuquén Province | |
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In office 1963–1966 1970–1972 1973–1976 1983–1987 1995–1999 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | February 14, 1917 Zapala, Neuquén |
| Died | March 14, 2010 (aged 93) |
| Political party | Neuquén People's Movement |
| Spouse(s) | Estela Romeo |
Felipe Sapag (February 14, 1917 – March 14, 2010) was an Argentine politician, governor of Neuquén Province on five occasions and a leading figure in the Neuquén People's Movement and the locally influential Sapag family.
Sapag was born in Zapala to Lebanese immigrants who had moved to Neuquén in 1913. His elder brother was Elías Sapag, later a senator, and their younger brothers were Amado and José. Felipe Sapag studied in Zapala and Bahía Blanca, but could not finish his secondary education due to the hardship his family endured after the 1930 economic collapse. He and his brothers began to work to support the family and moved to Cutral Có to set up a company. He and his brothers played leading roles in the community, and Felipe founded the local energy co-op and the sports and cultural centre. A Peronist activist, he became a councillor and the first mayor of Cutral-Có in 1952.
Following the military coup d'etat and the banning of the Peronist movement, Sapag and his brothers, together with Carlos Sobisch, founded the Neuquino People's Movement, a provincial political party able to contest elections. Originally called 'Provincial Politics', it was established on June 4, 1961.
Sapag first stood for governor in March 1962, but the elections were annulled by the military government. He was elected governor of Neuquén in 1963, gaining 60% of the vote, and left office in June 1966, deposed by the military; among his administration's notable accomplishments were the establishment of the Neuquén Development Corporation (COPADE), the Bank of the Province of Neuquén, and the Universidad Provincial del Neuquén (today the National University of Comahue).
In 1970, in an unexpected decision, he accepted the offer of the military government to become federal receiver of the province, ruling it until 1972. The following year he was re-elected governor, but was again removed after the 1976 military coup.
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