Manuel Prado Ugarteche

Who was Manuel Prado Ugarteche?

Manuel Carlos Prado y Ugarteche was a Peruvian banker and political figure. Son of former president, Mariano Ignacio Prado, he was born in Lima and served as the President of Peru twice, from 1939 until 1945 and again between 1956 and 1962. His brother, Leoncio Prado Gutiérrez, was a military hero.

As a young army officer, Prado was a key player in the coup that overthrew Peruvian President Guillermo Billinghurst in 1914. He became President of the Central Reserve Bank in 1934.

Manuel Prado, a conservative patriarch of a wealthy and powerful family, reached the Presidency of Peru with the help of the left-wing Alianza Popular Revolucionaria Americana party. Prado announced that "one of the first acts of my government will be to declare a general political amnesty and put an end to the proscription of political parties."

During Prado's second presidency, the only significant proscribed party was the APRA, which was thrown out of power and outlawed in 1948 by President Manuel Odría. Prado announced that he would submit to the newly elected Congress a bill to legalize APRA once again.