UBICO (CASTAEDA), JORGE

born Nov. 10, 1878, Guatemala City, Guat. died June 14, 1946, New Orleans, La., U.S. byname Tata (Spanish: Daddy) soldier and dictator who ruled Guatemala for 13 years (193144). Ubico received a commission in the Guatemalan army in 1897, distinguished himself in several campaigns, and rose to the rank of colonel. In 1907 he was appointed governor of Alta Verapaz and in 1911 governor of Retalhuleu, where he served with efficiency and honesty. In the following years he was made a brigadier general, a member of the National Assembly, and minister of war (192226) under President Jos Mara Orellana. In 1931, backed by the Liberals and the Progressives, he was elected president of Guatemala, an office he held until 1944. Ubico restored Guatemala's international credit, built roads and public works, improved public health, ended the peonage of Indians, and eliminated wholesale corruption. He cultivated the friendship of the United States and was rewarded with tariff reductions and armaments. At the same time, he also eliminated all political opposition and democratic activity in Guatemala. Unrest developed, and when Ubico suspended freedom of speech and the press on June 22, 1944, the response was a general strike the next day. Forced to resign on July 1, he fled the country and made his home in New Orleans.