Nicolás Repetto
Encyclopedia
Nicolás Repetto was an Argentine
physician and leader of the Socialist Party of Argentina.
in 1871 and enrolled at the prestigious Colegio Nacional de Buenos Aires
, a public college preparatory school. He was introduced to politics by a friend and medical student, Juan B. Justo
, who enrolled Repetto in the reformist Civic Youth Union
, by which Repetto took part in the violently-repressed Revolution of the Park
, in 1890. He married Fenia Chertkoff, a feminist and sculptor. Repetto received a medical degree
from the University of Buenos Aires
in 1895, earning an internship at the renowned Inselspital
in Bern, Switzerland. He began his practice as a pediatric surgeon in 1897, while teaching at his alma mater's important School of Medicine.
He established the Diario del Pueblo (People's Journal) with Justo and in 1900, joined the Argentine Socialist Party (founded by Justo and others in 1896). He and Justo founded a cooperative
, El Hogar Obrero ("The Working Home") in 1905. The establishment quickly became a leading homebuilder and general store
operator, and grew with Argentina's booming economy of the time. Publishing numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals, he became part in 1906 of the charity emergency clinic operated by La Prensa
(then Argentina's second-most circulated newspaper). These accomplishments and the enactment of universal (male) suffrage
in Argentina helped lead to Repetto's election to the Argentine Chamber of Deputies
for the federal district of Buenos Aires, in 1912. A close ally of the Federación Agraria Argentina
, a small-holders' organization, he supported assistance to family farms and worked to expose abusive labor conditions in plantations throughout the north. He received his party's nomination for the presidency in 1922
, a campaign hampered by violence from the paramilitary Argentine Patriotic League
and by the popularity of the incumbent, centrist UCR
. Repetto resigned from Congress in 1923, but returned the following year. He then lost his wife in 1927, and his friend and closest political associate, Senator Juan B. Justo, died just weeks before the 1928 election
, leaving the party's leadership to him.
A coup d'état removing the aging, populist President Hipólito Yrigoyen
in 1930 gave way to new elections
the following year. Facing long odds, Repetto negotiated a "Civil Alliance" with the reformist Democratic Progressive Party
(PDP), and agreed to be the running mate for PDP leader Lisandro de la Torre
, a well-known anti-corruption activist. The caretaker government, led by General José Félix Uriburu
, supported the center-right Concordance and refused to guarantee free and fair elections (or, even safety) for the opposition, leading the UCR to boycott the polls. This left the Civil Alliance poised for possible victory, and Repetto was imprisoned. On election night - amid widespread irregularities - the Concordance won a sizable margin of the popular vote (a practice justified by the regime as "patriotic fraud"
). The two parties were nearly tied in the electoral college
, however, and no party had received a majority of electors; though ultimately, enough faithless electors were swayed into supporting the Concordance.
Socialist and PDP victories in congressional races raised the possibility of another, similar alliance for 1937. Lisandro de la Torre resigned from the Senate, however, following a 1935 assassination attempt on the floor of the chamber, itself. Repetto accepted the Socialist nomination for the 1937 campaign
, though the return of the UCR to national politics far overshadowed his party's chances. A second coup d'état dissolved Congress in 1943, ending his tenure there. Repetto led his party in 1945 into the Democratic Union, an uneasy alliance led by the UCR and conservatives united mainly by their shared opposition to the populist Juan Perón
. Following Perón's election, Repetto was jailed (as were growing numbers of opposition figures). The 1955 overthrow of the increasingly autocratic Perón led to his return to national politics, and the interim president, General Eduardo Lonardi
, named him to his influential Civilian Advisory Board. Following the victory of a UCR splinter candidate endorsed by the exiled Perón, Arturo Frondizi
, the Socialist Party was divided over the degree of opposition to resurgent Peronism
. The party's leaders, Repetto and veteran labor reformer Alfredo Palacios
, were unable to prevent a schism in 1958 and Américo Ghioldi
led the more anti-peronist faction into the Democratic Socialist Party
, which split the Socialist vote in the 1963 election
.
The author of numerous books on Argentine history and policy, as well as of a biography of his friend, Juan B. Justo, Repetto died in Buenos Aires in 1965. He was 94.
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
physician and leader of the Socialist Party of Argentina.
Biography
Nicolás Repetto was born in Buenos AiresBuenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
in 1871 and enrolled at the prestigious Colegio Nacional de Buenos Aires
Colegio Nacional de Buenos Aires
Colegio Nacional de Buenos Aires is a public high school in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In the tradition of the European gymnasium it provides a free education that includes classical languages such as Latin and Greek. The school is one of the most prestigious in Argentina...
, a public college preparatory school. He was introduced to politics by a friend and medical student, Juan B. Justo
Juan B. Justo
Juan Bautista Justo was an Argentine physician, journalist, politician, and writer. After finishing medical school he joined the Unión Cívica Radical, later participating in the foundation of the Socialist Party in 1896, of which he was chief director until his death...
, who enrolled Repetto in the reformist Civic Youth Union
Civic Youth Union
The Civic Union of the Youth was a youth-oriented Argentine political party founded on September 1, 1889 and dissolved on April 13, 1890 with the establishment of the Civic Union...
, by which Repetto took part in the violently-repressed Revolution of the Park
Revolution of the Park
The Revolution of the Park was an uprising against the national government of Argentina that took place on 26 July 1890 and started with the takeover of the Buenos Aires Artillery Park. It was led by members of the Civic Union against the presidency of Miguel Juárez Celman...
, in 1890. He married Fenia Chertkoff, a feminist and sculptor. Repetto received a medical degree
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
from the University of Buenos Aires
University of Buenos Aires
The University of Buenos Aires is the largest university in Argentina and the largest university by enrollment in Latin America. Founded on August 12, 1821 in the city of Buenos Aires, it consists of 13 faculties, 6 hospitals, 10 museums and is linked to 4 high schools: Colegio Nacional de Buenos...
in 1895, earning an internship at the renowned Inselspital
Inselspital
The Inselspital , officially the Bern University Hospital, is the university hospital of Berne, Switzerland, and one of the country's leading hospitals....
in Bern, Switzerland. He began his practice as a pediatric surgeon in 1897, while teaching at his alma mater's important School of Medicine.
He established the Diario del Pueblo (People's Journal) with Justo and in 1900, joined the Argentine Socialist Party (founded by Justo and others in 1896). He and Justo founded a cooperative
Cooperative
A cooperative is a business organization owned and operated by a group of individuals for their mutual benefit...
, El Hogar Obrero ("The Working Home") in 1905. The establishment quickly became a leading homebuilder and general store
General store
A general store, general merchandise store, or village shop is a rural or small town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, sometimes in a small space, where people from the town and surrounding rural areas come to purchase all their general...
operator, and grew with Argentina's booming economy of the time. Publishing numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals, he became part in 1906 of the charity emergency clinic operated by La Prensa
La Prensa (Buenos Aires)
La Prensa is an Argentine daily newspaper.Based in Buenos Aires, it was founded on 18 October 1869 by José C. Paz. La Prensa ranked among the most widely circulated dailies in Argentina in subsequent decades, earning a reputation for conservatism and support for British interests in Argentina...
(then Argentina's second-most circulated newspaper). These accomplishments and the enactment of universal (male) suffrage
Sáenz Peña Law
The Sáenz Peña Law was Law 8871 of Argentina, sanctioned by the National Congress on 10 February 1912, which established the universal, secret and mandatory male suffrage though the creation of an electoral list...
in Argentina helped lead to Repetto's election to the Argentine Chamber of Deputies
Argentine Chamber of Deputies
The Chamber of Deputies is the lower house of the Argentine National Congress. This Chamber holds exclusive rights to create taxes, to draft troops, and to accuse the President, the ministers and the members of the Supreme Court before the Senate....
for the federal district of Buenos Aires, in 1912. A close ally of the Federación Agraria Argentina
Federación Agraria Argentina
The Argentine Agrarian Federation is a private institution that serves as a business organization for small and medium agricultural producers in Argentina. It was founded on 15 August 1912 after the first employers' strike of agrarian farmers demanding protection from the exploitation of big...
, a small-holders' organization, he supported assistance to family farms and worked to expose abusive labor conditions in plantations throughout the north. He received his party's nomination for the presidency in 1922
Argentine presidential election, 1922
The Argentine general election of 1922 was held on 2 April. With a turnout of 55.2%, it produced the following official results:-President: aAbstentions.-Argentine Chamber of Deputies:Notes: a) seats left vacant.-Argentine Senate:...
, a campaign hampered by violence from the paramilitary Argentine Patriotic League
Argentine Patriotic League
The Argentine Patriotic League was a Nacionalista paramilitary group, officially created in Buenos Aires on January 16, 1919, during the Tragic week events. Presided over by Manuel Carlés, a professor at the Military College and the Escuela Superior de Guerra, it also counted among its members the...
and by the popularity of the incumbent, centrist UCR
Radical Civic Union
The Radical Civic Union is a political party in Argentina. The party's positions on issues range from liberal to social democratic. The UCR is a member of the Socialist International. Founded in 1891 by radical liberals, it is the oldest political party active in Argentina...
. Repetto resigned from Congress in 1923, but returned the following year. He then lost his wife in 1927, and his friend and closest political associate, Senator Juan B. Justo, died just weeks before the 1928 election
Argentine presidential election, 1928
The Argentine general election of 1928 was held on 1 April. With a turnout of 80.9%, it produced the following official results:-President: a) Parties nominating the Leopoldo Melo-Vicente Gallo ticket...
, leaving the party's leadership to him.
A coup d'état removing the aging, populist President Hipólito Yrigoyen
Hipólito Yrigoyen
Juan Hipólito del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús Irigoyen Alem was twice President of Argentina . His activism became the prime impetus behind the obtainment of universal suffrage in Argentina in 1912...
in 1930 gave way to new elections
Argentine presidential election, 1931
The Argentine presidential election of 1931 was held on 8 November. With a turnout of 73.4%, it produced the following official results: aAbstentions.-Argentine Chamber of Deputies:-Argentine Senate:-Background:...
the following year. Facing long odds, Repetto negotiated a "Civil Alliance" with the reformist Democratic Progressive Party
Democratic Progressive Party (Argentina)
The Democratic Progressive Party is a provincial political party in Santa Fe, Argentina. It was founded by Lisandro de la Torre at the Savoy Hotel in Buenos Aires on December 14, 1914. One of its founders was the academic Dr...
(PDP), and agreed to be the running mate for PDP leader Lisandro de la Torre
Lisandro de la Torre
Lisandro de la Torre was an Argentine politician, born in Rosario, province of Santa Fe.De la Torre became a lawyer in 1890. His thesis about municipalities and communes, as well as other works of his, gave rise to the idea of municipal autonomy in Argentina, which was included in the Argentine...
, a well-known anti-corruption activist. The caretaker government, led by General José Félix Uriburu
José Félix Uriburu
General José Félix Benito Uriburu y Uriburu was the first de facto President of Argentina, achieved through a military coup, from September 6, 1930 to February 20, 1932.-Biography:...
, supported the center-right Concordance and refused to guarantee free and fair elections (or, even safety) for the opposition, leading the UCR to boycott the polls. This left the Civil Alliance poised for possible victory, and Repetto was imprisoned. On election night - amid widespread irregularities - the Concordance won a sizable margin of the popular vote (a practice justified by the regime as "patriotic fraud"
Infamous Decade
The Infamous Decade in Argentina is the name given to the period of time that started in 1930 with the coup d'état against President Hipólito Yrigoyen by José Félix Uriburu...
). The two parties were nearly tied in the electoral college
Electoral college
An electoral college is a set of electors who are selected to elect a candidate to a particular office. Often these represent different organizations or entities, with each organization or entity represented by a particular number of electors or with votes weighted in a particular way...
, however, and no party had received a majority of electors; though ultimately, enough faithless electors were swayed into supporting the Concordance.
Socialist and PDP victories in congressional races raised the possibility of another, similar alliance for 1937. Lisandro de la Torre resigned from the Senate, however, following a 1935 assassination attempt on the floor of the chamber, itself. Repetto accepted the Socialist nomination for the 1937 campaign
Argentine presidential election, 1937
The Argentine presidential election of 1937 was held on 5 September. With a turnout of 76.2%, it produced the following official results: aAbstentions.-Background:...
, though the return of the UCR to national politics far overshadowed his party's chances. A second coup d'état dissolved Congress in 1943, ending his tenure there. Repetto led his party in 1945 into the Democratic Union, an uneasy alliance led by the UCR and conservatives united mainly by their shared opposition to the populist Juan Perón
Juan Perón
Juan Domingo Perón was an Argentine military officer, and politician. Perón was three times elected as President of Argentina though he only managed to serve one full term, after serving in several government positions, including the Secretary of Labor and the Vice Presidency...
. Following Perón's election, Repetto was jailed (as were growing numbers of opposition figures). The 1955 overthrow of the increasingly autocratic Perón led to his return to national politics, and the interim president, General Eduardo Lonardi
Eduardo Lonardi
Eduardo A. Lonardi Doucet served as de facto president of Argentina from September 23, 1955 until November 13, 1955.-Biography:He was born on September 15, 1896....
, named him to his influential Civilian Advisory Board. Following the victory of a UCR splinter candidate endorsed by the exiled Perón, Arturo Frondizi
Arturo Frondizi
Arturo Frondizi Ercoli was the President of Argentina between May 1, 1958, and March 29, 1962, for the Intransigent Radical Civic Union.-Early life:Frondizi was born in Paso de los Libres, Corrientes Province...
, the Socialist Party was divided over the degree of opposition to resurgent Peronism
Peronism
Peronism , or Justicialism , is an Argentine political movement based on the programmes associated with former President Juan Perón and his second wife, Eva Perón...
. The party's leaders, Repetto and veteran labor reformer Alfredo Palacios
Alfredo Palacios
Alfredo Lorenzo Palacios was an Argentine socialist politician.Palacios was born in Buenos Aires, and studied law at Universidad de Buenos Aires, after graduation he became a lawyer and taught at the university until becoming a dean.In 1902, he was elected to the Buenos Aires' legislature, and in...
, were unable to prevent a schism in 1958 and Américo Ghioldi
Américo Ghioldi
Américo Ghioldi was an Argentine educator, publisher and prominent Socialist politician.-Life and times:...
led the more anti-peronist faction into the Democratic Socialist Party
Democratic Socialist Party (Argentina)
The Democratic Socialist Party was a political party in Argentina formed in 1959 as a division of the Socialist Party.The most important figure of the PSD was Alfredo Bravo, a teacher and civil rights activist, which was a deputy and the presidential candidate of the Socialist Party in the 2003...
, which split the Socialist vote in the 1963 election
Argentine general election, 1963
The Argentine general election of 1963 was held on 7 July. Voters chose both the President and their legislators and with a turnout of 85.6%, it produced the following results:-President:aAbstentions.-Argentine Chamber of Deputies:...
.
The author of numerous books on Argentine history and policy, as well as of a biography of his friend, Juan B. Justo, Repetto died in Buenos Aires in 1965. He was 94.