Eusebio Guilarte Vera


Eusebio Guilarte Vera was a Bolivian politician who served briefly as President of Bolivia from 1847 to 1848. A career military officer, Guilarte had fought under Santa Cruz at Zepita, and also in the battles of the Confederation. He had been José Ballivián's deputy aide at the Battle of Ingavi, for which he was rewarded as Ambassador to Brazil. Later, the President recalled Guilarte and appointed him a member of the powerful Council of State. Unable to sustain himself in power in light of the vast conspiracies of Manuel Belzu, Ballivián chose to leave the country and in late 1847 turned over power to General Guilarte as head of the Council of State. By then the die was cast, as Belzu and his supporters were closing in on the capital. Guilarte's investiture simply provided cover for the president to get away while he could. Guilarte attempted to reach an understanding with the rebels, but was overthrown by Belzu in less than two weeks. Allowed to live under house arrest in internal exile at the Pacific port of Cobija, Litoral, Guilarte caught an illness and died less than two years later, in 1849.