Zenón Noriega Agüero (1900-1957) was a Peruvian military man who reached the presidency of the country for a short time. Born in Jesús, Cajamarca, in 1900, from a very young age he joined the army, entering the Military School in 1917.
Noriega was steadily rising through the ranks and, in 1943, he obtained the rank of colonel. Somewhat later, in 1948, he became commander of the II Light Division. At the head of this division he was in charge of suppressing the Callao Mutiny.
When there was a coup led by General Manuel A. Odría, Noriega decided to turn his back on the legal government of the country and lent support to the rebels.
When the coup leader arrived in the capital, he led the Junta and Noriega assumed the position of Minister of War and First Vice President. Two years later, Odría decided to call elections and run as a candidate, for which he had to resign the presidency. It was Noriega who replaced him, being President for just two months.
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Zenón Noriega Agüero was born on July 12, 1900 in the town of Jesús, Cajamarca. His parents were Wenceslao Noriega and Maria del Carmen Agüero and the future Peruvian president carried out his first studies in his hometown.
At the end of the first educational stages, he entered the Chorrillos Military School in 1917. Five years later, he obtained his title as Second Lieutenant of Artillery.
Noriega was soon promoted to the rank of Captain, by distinguished action. Between 1928 and 1931, he completed his military studies at the Escuela Superior de Guerra. Thanks to his good work, he received the title of officer of the General Staff.
The following year, he was promoted to sergeant major and, in 1936, to lieutenant colonel. The latter earned him to start developing work as an assistant to the Ministry of War, as well as head of the No. 2 Artillery Corps. Finally, he also served as deputy director of the Artillery Application School
His next promotion, to colonel, had to wait until 1943. On that date, he was appointed head of a section of the Army General Staff..
When, in the face of the serious political crisis in the country caused by the confrontation between President Bustamante and members of the APRA party, a military cabinet was installed, Noriega was assigned to the command of the II Light Division.
The Callao mutiny, October 3, 1948, was promoted by the Aprista leaders, then confronted with the Bustamante government. It was carried out by naval officers and the sailors located in that city. The person in charge of ending the rebellion was Zenón Noriega, at the head of his Division.
The first consequence of this uprising was the outlawing of APRA. A few days later, there was the coup that would end the Bustamante government.
The coup began on October 27, 1948. That day, General Odría, who was in command of the Arequipa garrison, rebelled against the government of Bustamante y Rivero. The name that the rebels gave to this uprising was "Restorative Revolution".
At that time, Noriega was in Lima. From the capital he stood by for a day, waiting for events to unfold..
Finally, he decided to withdraw his support for Bustamante and add his troops to the rebellion. This, according to historians, was the decisive element for the success of the coup..
On the 29th, Noriega took charge of a Government Military Junta, awaiting the arrival of Odría. Once the head of the uprising was in Lima, Noriega gave him the presidency and held the positions of Minister of War and Vice President of the Republic.
Two years later, Odría decided that it was time to call an election that would give a certain image of legitimacy to his government. According to the law, to be a candidate he had to resign before the presidency.
Odría, therefore, devoted himself completely to his electoral candidacy. His replacement in the presidency, pending the elections, was Zenón Noriega.
For almost two months, from June 1 to June 28, Noriega became the highest authority in the state. The truth, according to all historians, is that, in reality, the one who continued to run the country was Odría.
In the elections, dismissed by historians as fraudulent, there was a clear victory for General Odría, who was elected president of the country. He held the position until 1956, beginning a period in which the repression against opponents was common..
Noriega, after the voting, was appointed Minister of War, as well as President of the Council of Ministers, two of the most important positions in the government. Likewise, he was promoted to Major General.
However, in 1954 the situation changed completely. Odría accused him of organizing a conspiracy to dismiss him. Because of this accusation, Noriega was dismissed and had to go into exile, in August of that same year, aboard a navy ship..
According to what was said at the time, the conspiracy involved other important figures. Many historians affirm that it was a symptom of the decomposition that affected the Odría regime.
Noriega's chosen destination for his exile was Argentina. There he was received by the President, Juan Domingo Perón. He stayed in that country for two years, later returning to Peru..
Retired from public life, he spent his last years in Lima. It was in the capital where he died on May 7, 1957, at the age of 57..
As previously noted, Zenón Noriega did not have real power as president. Actually, it was Odría who was still handling matters, waiting for the elections to be held..
For this reason, there were no notable works that can be attributed to Noriega. Yes, on the other hand, you can point out some that occurred during his tenure in the Odría government.
Although, certainly, this fact cannot be attributed only to Noriega, it should not be forgotten that he held very important positions in the government. The years in which Odría was in power were characterized, in part, by the violence unleashed against Apristas and leftists.
The most prominent person in this repressive policy was Alejandro Esparza Zañartu, Minister of Government. After the death of several students in Arequipa, in 1950, he was dismissed.
The good progress of raw material exports to Europe allowed the government to develop a series of public works that have remained as its main achievement.
Among the most important built infrastructures were schools, hospitals and the current National State. Manuel Odría's government was favored by the increase in raw material exports
On the social front, the most important legacy of the Odría y Noriega government was the granting of the right to vote to women. This legislative change was approved on September 7, 1955.
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