Luis Batlle Berres

Batlle Berres was a journalist and prominent member of the Uruguayan Colorado Party. He was selected — in hindsight, with far-reaching effect — to serve as vice presidential running-mate for Luis Tomás Berreta.

He served as Vice President of Uruguay in 1947, succeeding Alberto Guani and held this office upon the death of President Berreta.

He was President of Uruguay from 1947 to 1951, being succeeded in the office by Andrés Martínez Trueba.

Various reforms were introduced during the Batlle Berres presidency. A law of September the 19th 1947 granted broad powers to the Executive Power to insure supplies and prevent excessive increases in prices of articles of prime necessities.[2] A land reform law of 1948 sought to increase and improve agricultural production and improve the living conditions of rural workers.[3] In 1948 part-time employees of the Jockey Club “not covered by the original fund became covered by a separate fund.” In 1950, family allowances were extended to civil servants and the military.[4] Law 11,577 of October the 14th 1950 introduced a 6-hour day “for workers engaged in activities that are officially considered unhealthful because of working conditions or materials that are handled.”[5] The same law granted women extensive rights during pregnancy and in the puerperium.[6] 1950 amendments established a maximum of 3,000 pesos to be paid annually to anyone as accident insurance, but gave the State Insurance Bank “the power to raise this maximum on its own judgment through established legal procedures.”[7] In 1949 the budget for school canteens and milk was increased, while new classes for children with hearing and sight defects were brought within the framework of special education.[8] In 1950 new infant classes and kindegartens were opened, while a rural normal institute was set up “for giving certificated teachers, on paid leave of absence, specialist training in rural education.” Refresher courses were instituted for the teachers of handicapped children, while grants-in-aid were made to seventeen training college courses for young teachers-in-training from the interior of the country.[9] Law No. 11,617 of October the 20th 1950 created the Retirement and Pension Fund for Rural Workers, Domestic Workers and Old Age Pensions.[10]

Within the Colorado Party, he is now widely acknowledged for being the founder of the political branch known as Neo-Batllism. In this first period of Presidential office, the Vice President of Uruguay was Alfeo Brum.

Batlle Berres was President of the National Council of Government of Uruguay from 1955 to 1956. Batlle thus both preceded and succeeded Andrés Martínez Trueba as President.

The great great grandson of Catalan settlers from Sitges, Spain, he was the son of another political figure, Luis Batlle y Ordóñez, brother of ex president José Batlle. His mother, Petrona Berres, was of Irish descent and died when he was still a small child. Then, his father remarried but died soon after, in 1908. As a result, he went to live with his uncle, José Batlle y Ordóñez, the three-time President of Uruguay, and his cousins César, Rafael and Lorenzo Batlle Pacheco on the Piedras Blancas estate in the suburbs of Montevideo.[11]

In 1927, he married Matilde Ibáñez Tálice, with whom he had three children: the also ex president Jorge Batlle, concert pianist Luis Batlle and Matilde Linda Batlle, the latter born in Argentina.

He was a member of the Colorado Party.

• Sanguinetti, Julio María (2018). Luis Batlle Berres. El Uruguay del optimismo. Montevideo: Taurus.

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• Tomás Berreta#Death and succession