Roberto Marcelo Levingston

Brigadier General
Roberto Marcelo Levingston
Levingston in 1970
36th President of Argentina
In office
18 June 1970 – 23 March 1971
Vice President None
Preceded byJuan Carlos Onganía
Succeeded byAlejandro Agustín Lanusse
Personal details
Born(1920-01-10)10 January 1920
San Luis, Argentina
Died17 June 2015(2015-06-17) (aged 95)
Buenos Aires, Argentina
PartyIndependent
SpouseBety Nelly Andrés Llana de Levingston
Children3
ProfessionMilitary
Signature
Military service
Allegiance Argentina
Branch/serviceArgentine Army
Years of service
1938–1971
RankBrigadier general
CommandsArgentine Army
Battles/warsArgentine Revolution

Roberto Marcelo Levingston Laborda (10 January 1920 – 17 June 2015) was an Argentine Army general who was the 36th President of Argentina from 1970 to 1971. His presidency was marked by a protectionist economic policy amid the country's financial struggles, and the imposition of the death penalty against terrorists and kidnappers.

Early life and education

Levingston was born on 10 January 1920 in San Luis Province. He was the son of Guillermo David Levingston Sierralta and Carmen Laborda Guiñazú. After completing his secondary studies, Levingston attended the Colegio Militar de la Nación starting in 1938, where he graduated from in 1941. He chose to pursue the branch of cavalry officer at the college, and upon graduating became a second lieutenant of cavalry. In January 1948 he obtained the rank of captain after having previously been promoted to first lieutenant.

Presidency

Levingston in civilian clothing

Levingston's military expertise included intelligence and counterinsurgency, and he took the presidency of Argentina on 18 June 1970, in a military coup engineered by commander-in-chief Alejandro Lanusse that deposed Juan Carlos Onganía over his ineffective response to the Montoneros and other guerillas. Lanusse later called Levingston's appointment as a "barbarity" while defending the decision at the time, saying that "it was done so as to avoid what had been happening" under Onganía.

His regime was marked by a protectionist economic policy that did little to overcome the inflation and recession that the country was undergoing at the time, and by the imposition of the death penalty against terrorists and kidnappers. In response to renewed anti-government rioting in Córdoba, the labor crisis under his leadership, and his attempt to dismiss Lanusse, he was deposed on 21 March 1971, by another military junta led by Lanusse.

Death

He died on 17 June 2015, at the age of 95. He is the longest-lived President of Argentina.

Personal life

In 1943, Levingston married Bety Nelly Andrés and had two sons and one daughter.

Cabinet

Levingston's cabinet underwent several changes during his brief presidency, with key ministerial positions experiencing turnover particularly in October 1970.

Cabinet of Roberto Marcelo Levingston
Ministry Minister Period
Ministry of Interior Eduardo Mac Loughlin

Arturo Cordón Aguirre

 18 June 1970 – 13 October 1970

15 October 1970 – 23 March 1971

Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship Luis María de Pablo Pardo 18 June 1970 – 23 March 1971
Ministry of Economy and Labor Carlos Moyano Llerena

Aldo Ferrer

 18 June 1970 – 15 October 1970

26 October 1970 – 23 March 1971

Ministry of Education José Luis Cantini 18 June 1970 – 23 March 1971
Ministry of Social Welfare Francisco Manrique

Amadeo Frúgoli

 18 June 1970 – 9 February 1971

10 February 1971 – 23 March 1971

Ministry of Defense José R. Cáceres Monié 18 June 1970 – 23 March 1971
Ministry of Justice Jaime Perriaux 18 June 1970 – 23 March 1971
Ministry of Public Works and Services Aldo Ferrer

Oscar Colombo

 18 June 1970 – 26 October 1970

26 October 1970 – 23 March 1971

References

  1. ↑ Lentz, Harris M. (4 February 2014), Heads of States and Governments Since 1945, Routledge, ISBN 9781134264902, retrieved 13 October 2017 – via Google Books
  2. 1 2 The International Who's who: 1990-91, Europa Publications Limited, 13 October 1990, ISBN 9780946653584, retrieved 13 October 2017 – via Google Books
  3. ↑ "Roberto Marcelo Levingston Laborda n. 10 Ene 1920 San Luis, San Luis, Argentina f. 17 Jun 2015 Buenos Aires, Argentina: Genealogía Familiar", Genealogiafamiliar.net, retrieved 13 October 2017
  4. 1 2 3 Lewis, Daniel K. (2001), The History of Argentina, The Greenwood histories of the modern nations, Greenwood Publishing Group, pp. 134–135, ISBN 978-0-313-31256-4.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Keen, Benjamin; Haynes, Keith (2008), A History of Latin America (8th ed.), Cengage Learning, p. 374, ISBN 978-0-618-78318-2.
  6. 1 2 3 "Murió Roberto Marcelo Levingston", La Nación (in Spanish), June 18, 2015, archived from the original on June 18, 2015, retrieved June 18, 2015
  7. ↑ Genealogía (in Spanish). Genealogía. 1979. p. 36. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
  8. ↑ Proceedings of the ... World Congress of Jewish Studies. World Union of Jewish Studies. 1990. p. 474. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
  9. ↑ Hubeñak, Florencio F.; Hubeñak, Lilia A. Rodríguez de (1981). Quiénes gobiernan el mundo actual: biografías sintéticas de los dirigentes políticos de postguerra (in Spanish). Editorial Universitaria de Buenos Aires. p. 161. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
  10. ↑ "General Complacencia ante el nombramiento de Levingston". ABC. 16 June 1970. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
  11. ↑ "ALEJANDRO LANUSSE DIES AT 78". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  12. ↑ "Argentine Strongman Alejandro Augustin Lanusse". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  13. ↑ Félix V. Lonigro (9 March 2019). "Cincuentones, longevos o muy jóvenes: curiosidades de las edades de los presidentes argentinos" (in Spanish). Infobae.com. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  14. ↑ "Boletín Oficial de la República Argentina". www.boletinoficial.gob.ar. Retrieved 2025-08-06.