or Hipólito Yrigoyen
born July 12, 1852, Buenos Aires, Arg.
died July 3, 1933, Buenos Aires
Argentine statesman and president (1916–22, 1928–30).
A lawyer, teacher, rancher, and politician, he became leader of the Radical Party in 1896. Working relentlessly for electoral reform, he succeeded in 1912 in securing a secret-ballot vote. When he was elected president in 1916, he passed measures regulating labour conditions but failed to enforce them, and a serious strike was violently broken in 1919. Corruption and the failure to implement democratic reforms cost him support after his return to power in 1928, and he was further weakened by the Great Depression . A nearly bloodless military coup ended his career.